With a Wish
by XxRebelWriterxX
Summary: Moving to Jasper, Nevada hadn't been on my to-do list, but it was certainly my destiny. Who knew chasing after a boy in an alley could change my life so much. I don't regret it though. After all, it all started with a wish. Ratchet/OC Mostly completed with regular updates!
1. Chapter 1

**Hey Guys! So this is a new project I'm starting that will probably be my main focus for a while. I just went through and deleted a couple of my incomplete stories. I just don't have the plot bunnies for those stories anymore. I will keep my Biggest Wish Rewrite and Adventures of Agrabah on hiatus. One day I hope I regain the spark I had for them. But for now, I just don't. So instead, I'm moving on to bigger and better things!**

 **For those of you just joining me, I'm XxRebelWriterxX. My real name is Jessica. I won't tell you anything passed that in case you all try to steal info! The beginning is a little rough, so I apologize for that. But I'm excited to write this and see where it goes! Hope you enjoy the journey.**

 **Disclaimer: I no own.**

 **Chapter One:**

Moving to Jasper, Nevada was one of the last things I had wanted to do. However, despite my age, I needed my parents to help support me. I was well aware of the fact that a twenty-one-year-old girl shouldn't still rely on her family, but I honestly wasn't ready to move away, mentally or emotionally. My parents understood this, and they used this as an argument to get me to move a crossed the country.

So the morning of the move, I quietly packed my stuff into the moving truck and before I knew it, we were leaving my home town goodbye. I couldn't help but shed tears as I watched the only place I had ever known, disappear behind me.

"Cheer up, darling. I'm sure you'll like Jasper just fine. Jasper University is supposed to be a really good school too." My mother tried to soothe me from the front seat. I sighed and pulled my legs up to my chest, wrapping my arms around them. I didn't reply to her because I didn't care. I had loved my old school, and I really did not want to transfer.

The reason we were moving was because my dad got a job opportunity as a professor at Jasper University. He would be making almost double the pay there than he did at the little Community college he worked at back home. My mom got a job at a daycare center there and I was enrolled at JU. My parents also tried to tell me about how we were getting a house now instead of the two-bedroom apartment we had always lived in.

I didn't care. I wanted my old home back.

So I protested the entire drive by not saying a single thing to either of my parents. I knew it wouldn't make a difference, but it made me feel slightly better. It was a long, fourteen-hour drive and I slept through most of it.

Soon enough, the small town of Jasper, Nevada came into view. I frowned when I realized just how small it was. There was only one grocery store, and only a few different shops for other things. I saw the local hospital as well as the Junior/ High School. There wasn't really an elementary school, per se, most of the kids got their education from the daycare. I also noticed there was only one fast food joint in town in the area that we lived in. Something told me I would get sick of that food after only a day here.

Finally, we pulled into the driveway of our new home.

I got out of the car and looked up at the place I was being forced in. Begrudgingly, I admitted that it looked pretty cool. It was a two story, red brick building, with a double door entrance. Walking inside, there was an open living room with a fireplace and the staircase leading upstairs. I walked towards the kitchen and noticed it was quite bigger than the one at our apartment. The whole house had hardwood flooring. I walked back into the living room and went upstairs.

The upstairs area was pretty big. My bedroom was the first door on the right. It was of decent size, with a walk-in closet and a door leading to the bathroom beside my room. I also had my very own balcony. There wasn't much of a view, unless you counted miles of sand. But I did notice that if I carefully climbed onto the railing, I could get onto the roof. So that's what I did.

I laid down and looked up at the sky. It was about seven o'clock, so the sun was slowly sinking into the distance. We had started the journey at a little before five in the morning. It was a long, boring drive and I didn't want to move.

"Jessica! Come down here and started bringing your stuff in the house!" I heard my mother call. With a sigh, I climbed back down onto my balcony and exited my room. The movers were just now pulling up. The started taking in all the furniture while I helped my parents with the rest of our items.

The whole process took another two and a half hours. It was nearly ten o'clock when the movers left us to settle into our new place. My parents ordered a pizza less than an hour ago, and it got there as the movers left.

I grabbed a plate for myself and a can of Mtn Dew before heading up to my new room. Carefully, I climbed back onto the roof with my dinner. I sat down and looked up at the sky. I had to admit, it looked beautiful. There wasn't as much light pollution here as there was in my hometown, so I could see a lot more stars.

A shooting star shot past and I sighed wistfully. "I wish that something exciting would happen. Something that will make this trip actually worth it."

After I made my wish, I finished my meal in silence. It was just after eleven when I went back into my room. I decided to put my room together the next day. However, I did have to put my bed together, so quickly I did just that. Afterward, I plugged my phone up and changed into pajamas. When I finally got beneath the blankets, I couldn't stop the tears that once more began making trails down my cheeks as I thought about the life I just lost.

" _Jessica, come on! We have to get to the castle! The princess needs rescuing!"_

 _Two little kids ran through a forest, laughing and playing merrily. One of them was a young boy with red hair and a freckled face, the other a pale face, pigtailed, brown haired girl. They looked to be about seven or eight years old._

" _Kyle! You know I'm a girl. I don't want to rescue a princess. I want to rescue a prince!" The girl, Jessica, giggled. Her blue eyes sparkled playfully. A twig caught her and she fell forward, but was able to catch herself with her hands. She stood back up and wiped her hands on her white shorts before once more taking after her friend._

" _Come on, slowpoke!" Kyle teased. Jessica huffed and used all her energy to catch up with a boy. She couldn't help but jump and tackle the boy to the ground. They rolled down the hill they were on, barely missing the trees, and came to a stop in front of a lake._

" _Whoa, look at this place." Kyle remarked, despite his position. Jessica had him pinned to the ground. However, she stood up quickly when she realized she had never been here before. "Where are we? I've never been here before?"_

 _Jessica shrugged. "Me neither. Your mommy and daddy told us to always stick to the path." The two of them looked towards the trees they'd come out of. "I think we might have done so."_

 _Kyle shot her a look. "Duh. Still though, mommy and daddy take me off the trails all the time. We've never been here before. It's really pretty though! We should show them it sometime!" He grinned as if he'd come up with the best idea ever._

" _And tell them about how we went off the path. I don't think that would be a good idea." Jessica reminded him. Kyle pouted, but he knew she was right. The two of them began to explore the area._

 _The lake was roughly the size of a football field, and the water almost seemed to glow. Jessica didn't think she'd ever seen water quite that blue! It almost looked unreal. She walked to the water's edge and looked inside. Something sparkled. Curiously, she reached inside and gripped the item in question. She pulled out what looked like a piece of metal._

 _It almost seemed to pulse as if it were alive. She stroked it, noticing the strange markings it bore. It looked almost alien to her. "Kyle, check this out!" She called to her best friend. He quickly ran over to her side._

 _However, right before he got to her, the shard grew hot against her skin. She yelped in pain and tried to drop it. It stuck to her skin, burning the flesh. Tears sprung to her eyes and she screamed. "What's wrong!" Kyle shouted. He finally reached her side and he noted the smell of something burning._

 _The shard melted, and then seemed to sink into her very skin. Jessica gasped and the pain melted away, leaving only a faint scar to be the only proof something had happened. "What, was that?" Kyle asked, looking concerned for his friend. She didn't answer though. Instead, her vision went dark and she fell to the ground._

 _Vaguely, she could hear Kyle screaming her name._

I shot up into a sitting position when I woke up from my dream. My heart thumped against my ribs as I remembered the dream I just had. It wasn't just a dream though, it was a memory. On my right hand, there was a faint scar that had been there since that day.

I remember how I had come to in a hospital, my parents by my bedside. They told me that there had been an accident, Kyle had told them I fell and hit my head. They had believed him. So no one knew what had truly happened.

That day had basically been the end of a normal life for me. Since that day, I've had strange visions of an alien world. I'd see symbols that shouldn't've made much sense to me, but I knew exactly what they meant. It was as if the knowledge had been programed into my head.

I would go through fits where I would black out. When I would come to, I would have drawn those strange symbols all over the place. My parents told me stories of those moments were I would start talking in clicks and beeps. Literally. They said my eyes would almost glow brightly and I would stare blankly at nothing.

It scared them so much that they'd have been put into a mental hospital when I was twelve. I was there for much of my childhood. However, as I got older, I would slowly be able to control those fits. Soon enough, I was released back to my parents.

I never saw Kyle again after I was committed. His family had moved away in fear that their son would start having the same fits I was having.

It took me a moment to catch my breath. When my heart finally slowed down, I stood up from my bed and stretched. Looking around my room, I remembered that I had to eventually unpack and put everything away. "Bleh, Ill deal with it later tonight." I decided.

Instead I went downstairs where my parents were located. The smell of eggs and bacon greeted me as I descended. My dad was seated at the table, reading a newspaper, while my mom was alternating between dealing with the food, and unpacking the kitchen. "Good morning, parental units." I greeted them.

My dad shot me a stern look, but didn't reply. My parents didn't like how… unusual I could be. I just liked to think I had a special charm. I was weird, I was random, and I was just a little bit childish. But hey, I had fun and enjoyed doing what I do. So with that in mind, I joined my dad at the table. Five minutes later, my mom put plates of food in front of me and dad. "Thanks momma! Smells amazing." I grinned before digging in.

It was silent for several minutes as we all enjoyed the food. However, neither of my parents could have quiet for long. "So, Jessica, what do you plan to do today?" Mom asked me curiously.

I shrugged. "I don't know. I figured I could go out for a little bit and explore Jasper. Maybe stop by the university or something. After that, I was going to work on my room."

"I have to go out to the university at two to fill out some paper work. You're more than welcome to join me if you want." Dad offered. I told him that sounded perfect. First though, I wanted to go and see a bit of the town.

So after I ate, I went back into my room and picked out my outfit for the day. Then I went into my bathroom and took a quick shower. Once that was completed and I was ready, I went back into my room. Looking into the mirror located on my dresser, I couldn't help but admire myself. I didn't think I was in anyways a model, but I was pretty in my own way. I grew my hair long, reaching just to the middle of my back. Sometime after I got released, I had dyed it a deep red color. My face had lost its baby fat and I had distinguished cheek bones. I never wore make up because I looked better without it. My teeth were a little crooked, but for the most part, they were white and strong.

I wore a long dark red shirt, with a v-shaped neckline that went down the middle of my thighs with a thick black belt around my waist and black leggings. Then I also wore black combat boots. I had put my hair in a ponytail then braided it. I finish my outfit with a pair of black sunglasses.

"Alright Jessica, let's introduced Jasper, Nevada to the awesomeness that is you." I grinned at myself before grabbing my phone and heading out. "By mom! Bye dad!" I called over my shoulder as I went out the front door. It was just now ten o'clock so I had about three hours to explore before I needed to meet my dad. I didn't think that would be much of a problem with how tiny Jasper was. Something told me it would only take an hour to see everything this place had to offer.

…

And I was right. An hour later and I had traveled from one end of Jasper to another. There wasn't much to see really. The only park they had was run down and was in serious need of a gardener. There was one movie theater and a bowling alley. That was the extent of recreational activities available. I hadn't even seen a swimming pool.

Sometime told me I was going to get bored of my new town pretty quickly.

With a sigh of disappointment, I began the journey back to my house. On the way, I stopped by the local fast food restaurant. It was called KO burger. It kind of reminded me of the Rally's we had back in our hometown with the way it was set up.

I walked up to the window to order. A boy who looked to be about sixteen was standing in the window. He looked completely bored with his job, but he tried to hide it with a smile. "Hello. Welcome to KO, where every burger is a knockout. What can I get you?" He asked.

"Something to do in this boring town would be nice. You know of anything fun around here?" I asked him. He chuckled and shook his head.

"You must be new around here. Jasper, Nevada is literally the dictionary form of boring. There is a picture of Jasper, beside the word boring to describe what it truly means. So no, I don't know of anything fun around here." He replied.

I huffed. "Great. I was forced to move to the most boring town in the entire world. Just my luck."

"Well, at least you didn't grow up here. You could probably still escape its dark clutches." He joked. I giggled and shook my head. "Unfortunately, I'm stuck here, at least until I finish school. But maybe not even then."

"Where do you go to school?" The boy, whose nametag said Jack, asked curiously.

"Jasper University. I'm transferring there from my old one back in my home town. I'm a sophomore this year. Would be a junior, but I had to take a year off for personal reasons." I explained to Jack.

"Hmm, well I hope you enjoy it there. Aaand did you still want to order something?" He asked with a grin. I chuckled, having completely forgotten that was the whole reason I was here. "Yeah. I'll take a small order of fries, and a small coke, no ice."

I paid for the items and waited over at the nearest table. After a couple minutes, Jack brought my items to me. "By the way, can I know your name? It'd be nice to actually have a friend here." He asked.

I smiled, knowing exactly what it was like to not have any friends. Most of the people back in my hometown knew about how I had been committed all of my teen years, so no one wanted anything to do with me. They all thought I was just some crazy girl. "Yeah, sure. My name is Jessica."

"Jack." He stated simply and offered his hand. Something told me that, despite our age differences, we were going to become really great friends.

I was about to return home when it had happened. Jack, who had just got done dealing with a bully, had come out for his lunch break. He waved to me before pulling out his phone and answering a call. I couldn't hear him, but I assumed he was talking to his mom.

I couldn't stay any longer after that, so I left towards my house. As I walked down the sidewalk, I thought about what my life would be like after today. It was only day one and I'd at least made a friend. That's more than I was able to accomplish back home. But still, Jasper was a small, boring town with absolutely nothing to do.

The sound of screaming suddenly filled the streets. I frowned and looked behind me, just in time to see Jack racing past me on a motorcycle. Only a second later, two purple cars sped after Jack. It looked as if they were trying to take Jack off the road.

Jack turned into an alleyway and I quickly ran after him. I turned into the alley and ran to the end, turning the way I figured they went. Suddenly I bumped into something, or should I say someone, hard. "Ow!" I yelped.

"Jessica?" He asked, his eyes widening in surprise. "What are you doing here?"

"I saw you getting chased by those cars. I had to make sure you were okay." I replied. The sound of revving engines prevented him from reply. We looked behind us to see one of the purple cars. It started driving forward.

Thinking quickly, I grabbed a piece of pipe laying nearby. "Run Jack!" I shouted and he wasted no time in doing so. I waved the pipe at the car. "Stay back! I'm not afraid to use this thing!" I threatened. The person wasn't too worried about me, seeing as how they were in a freaking car. So I tossed it at the windshield and took off. The sound of shattering glass told me I was successful. Hopefully it would slow them down.

I quickly caught up to Jack, "I don't even know her!" He shouted behind him, and I instantly felt hurt. He must've noticed, because he quickly corrected himself. "No, I wasn't talking about you! I promise! It's a long story."

I nodded, believing him. That was when we were suddenly stopped by the other purple car appearing in front of us. We turned around, but the car I hit was there already. "Jack, there's no one in the car." I gasped, pointing into the empty car.

Jack gulped. "I see that."

That was when I heard the sound of a motorcycle. The one Jack was on earlier came driving over the car with the broken window and stopped in front of us. "Hop on!" It yelled, the voice was feminine. Jack did so without question, so I figured she was the safer option. The motorcycle took off, once again jumping over the cars.

I held on to Jacks waist, screaming in fear. I'd never been on a motorcycle before, especially not one that seemed to be sentient.

The mirror of the motorcycle turned to face me. "Friend of yours?" The motorcycle asked Jack. He simply nodded, the words probably stuck in his throat. "The name's Jessica." I smiled slightly.

"Arcee."

After that, the purple cars that didn't have drivers started shooting at us.

"Holy shit!" I gasped, not even caring about language in that moment. This was not how I thought I would die. "Why are those guys shooting at us?" Jack asked fearfully.

"There's no us, kid. And they're no guys." Arcee replied. She swerved, barely avoiding a shot and I could help but scream once more. A honk distracted me. It belonged to a yellow and black muscle car that began knocking into the demon purple cars, knocking them off course.

"Friend of yours?" Jack asked, repeating the motorcycles earlier question.

"Family."

I started screaming once more and when Jack figured out why, he started to as well. We burst through a railing and went over a large drop off. We landed on the concrete hard, and I was sure my stomach dropped.

Jack and I quickly got off the motorcycle. "Whoa." We turned to see a young boy, who was playing with a toy car, looking up at us in awe. "You have no idea, kid." I stated simply.

The revving engines of the demon cars was heard once more. We watched as they transformed into giant robots. Then Arcee did the exact same thing. "Holy mother of cheese. Please tell me I'm not the only one who just saw that." I gasped.

"You're definitely not. What are they?" The boy asked. Jack and I shrugged, neither of us really knew. "Talking cars that turn into robots… or the other way around," was Jack's reply.

"I think it's the latter. Either way, this is freaking awesome! And absolutely terrifying." I remarked. I hadn't expected my exciting wish would include giant robots that were locked in some kind of death match. But hey, I'll take what I can get!

I gasped when one of the demon car robots shot Arcee in the chest. "No!" I screamed. I may not know much about who or what Arcee was, but I knew she was the good guy. And lucky for us, the yellow and black car appeared, transforming and immediately much one of them in the face. I cheered as Arcee stood back up, groaning.

The yellow bot got pretty close to where the three of us were standing and accidently stepped on the car the boy had had with him. The bot looked at the boy and began making strange clicking and whirring noises. I gasped, recognizing the sound. It was the exact same noise I made when I had one of my fits.

I didn't have much time to contemplate on that, however, when one of the demon bots powered up his gun and shot the bot, sending him flying back. The one who fired approached the poor bot and put his foot on his head. He pointed it to his face.

"LEAVE HIM ALONE!" The boy and I shouted simultaneously. They both turned to face us, and I shivered. "Please." We added meekly.

"Bad call." Jack stated, laying a hand on both on shoulders. We made a run for it, heading straight for a drain pipe. I could hear and feel the demon bot running after us. We helped the boy up first and then I went up and we pulled Jack up. Then quickly we ran into the sewer pipe as quickly as possible.

The clawed hand of the demon bot followed after us and we ran as fast as we could. Lucky for us, right before it was able to grab us, it was dragged back out. The yellow bot appeared once more. Once again, I heard the familiar sound of clicking and whirring.

"Thanks." The boy smiled before we turned around and continued running. Jack shook his head as we went, a look of disbelief in his eyes and told us to not look back. "What did we just see?" The boy asked.

"No idea." I shook my head. Jack copied what I did. "I'm not sure I want to find out." He added.

The sewer pipe went on for some time, but we eventually made it to the other side. I turned to look at the boy. "My names Jessica, what's yours?" I asked with a smile. He smiled right back and me and told me his name was Raf.

"Jack." Jack told Raf simply.

After that, we all split up. I looked at my phone and saw that it was 1:47. Dad was going to leave me. I dialed his number. The phone rang twice before he picked up. _"Hello, Jessica. Where are you? I had to leave."_

"Sorry dad, I got a little lost. I'm trying to find my way back home." I answered him. I hated lying to my parents, but there was absolutely no way I could ever tell them the truth. They would just have me committed once more!

" _Well okay. Call your mother if you need a pick up. I'll just bring you out to campus tomorrow. At least you don't start school for a week, unlike the high school kids."_ Dad joked. I chuckled and said goodbye to him. Then I began my walk to my house.

By the next day, I had all my stuff unpacked and officially moved into my new room. I had to admit that it wasn't a bad room at all. The balcony especially was a great addition to my new life.

Then I thought about the events from yesterday. I didn't know if I would ever see Arcee or the yellow bot again, but I honestly really wanted to. I also wanted to see Jack again. Before we had separated the day before, we had exchanged numbers. We had been texting all day.

We decided to meet up when Jack got out of school. So about a half hour before his classes were over, I left my house and ventured towards the high school. I wondered how Jack was feeling about everything that had happened the night before. It had certainly been quite the day. Not at all how I expected Jasper to be.

I got to the high school right as class was letting out. I noticed Raf standing by a tree nearby so that's where I went. "Hey Raf." I smiled and leaned down to hug him. After all, if you survive a weird robot attack thing, then you tend to become good friends.

"Hey Jess. Here comes Jack." He said, waving over the other member of our weird little club. Jack waved back and joined us. Just as Jack joined our side, a familiar yellow vehicle pulled up beside us. The door lifted up and we heard clicking and whirring.

"He wants us to get in?" Jack asked, frowning slightly in confusion. Raf shook his head. "Just Jess and I. Your ride is over there." Raf explained.

"And you know this how?" Jack asked, glimpsing over to where Arcee sat on the curb.

"He told me so." Raf replied and the two of us climbed into the car. Jack started protesting, but we ignored him. the door shut and the yellow bot took off.

"So, since you can understand him, mind telling me what is name is? All I hear is clicking and whirring." I pouted. I wish I knew what he was saying. It sounds so familiar though. The sound was exactly what I would make when I was in one of my fits. My mom had videotaped me once and showed me. It was a weird coincident.

"His name is Bumblebee." Raf answered. I hummed in acknowledgement. It made sense that his name would be Bumblebee, it suited him.

We drove out into the desert, and I watched as the town of Jasper sank into the distance. It was the second time in less than a week that I watched someone grow small. However, this time I was excited rather than sad. I could see Arcee behind us, with Jack and what looked like another girl. That was weird, but I suppose I would find out why soon enough.

Then I noticed we were driving straight for a cliff. I had to prevent myself from closing my eyes. Bee wouldn't've just gotten us only to kill us by driving into a cliff. He clearly had a plan. And I was proven right when the face of the cliff opened, revealing a tunnel.

We entered into a large room and I couldn't help but look around in awe. It was like nothing I had ever seen before. Raf and I climbed out and allowed Bee to transform. There were two other bots in there, one was huge and green, while the other was red and white. They both watched us curiously, though the latter had a frown on his face.

"I thought there was three?" The red and white one asked, surprised. I looked over to Jack and Arcee and saw the wild looking girl. She looked like a rock and roll star and something told me we would get along just fine.

Arcee transformed and deadpanned, "Haven't you heard? Humans multiply."

"I'm pretty sure the phrase is rabbits multiply. Because they do, like crazy. Never get two bunnies of different genders or else you've end up with all kinds of little hoppers. Hello! I'm Jessica." I introduced myself with a smile.

"I'm Raf!" Raf waved shyly. The rock star girl grinned and waved enthusiastically. "I'm Miko!" She ran over to the green robot. "Who are you?"

"Bulkhead."

Miko gasped. "Are you a car? I bet you're a truck! A monster truck! Do you like heavy metal? How much do you weigh? Ever use a wrecking ball as a punching bag?"

Bulkhead seemed incapable to form a reply as she rattled off question after question. The rest of us just ignored her and turned to Raf, who spoke up next. "So, if you're robots, who made you? Raf asked.

The red and white one scoffed. "Ugh, Puh-leeze."

I frowned. "Not nice, dude. He was just asking a question. I'd like to know how you guys came to be as well." The bot gave me a look like he was trying to figure me out. I looked away though and focused on the new voice.

"We are autonomous robotic organisms from the planet Cybertron, also known as Autobots." The final bot arrived to the party. This guy was seriously large, like larger than the others. I felt like a tiny ant. He was red and blue and something about him oozed authority and leadership.

"Why are you hear?" Jack asked curiously.

"To protect your planet from the Decepticons." The red and blue bot replied. Arcee added in that it was the jokers who had tried to bump us off the road the day before. Jack then asked why _they_ were here. "A fair question, Jack." He got down onto one knee. "In part, they are here because our planet is uninhabitable. Ravaged by centuries of civil war."

"Why were you fighting a civil war?" I asked, concerned. We've had plenty of wars here on Earth, but none of them had been bad enough to destroy our planet. I couldn't imagine what these bots were going through.

"Foremost, over control of our world supply of energon. The fuel and life-blood of all Autobots and Decepticons alike. The combat was fierce and endured for centuries. In the beginning I fought alongside one who I considered a brother. But in war, ideals can be corrupted. And it was thus that Megatron lost his way." The bot explained, his voice growing sad as he explained the past. My heart ached for him and everything they all no doubt lost in the war.

"Is there going to be a pop quiz?" Miko asked, bored, as she twirled some of her hair in her fingers. I frowned, irritated with the girl's immaturity. Perhaps we wouldn't get along as much as I thought we would've.

Jack shook his head before turning back to the big bot. "So what does Megatron, or any of this, have to do with us?" Jack asked.

"Megatron has not been seen nor heard of in some time. But if his return is imminent, as I fear, it could be catastrophic." Big bot explained grimly.

And that, my friends, was a huge 'oh shit' moment for all of us. Something told me things were about to change quite a bit. I wasn't sure what to expect, but I knew that I was definitely getting the adventure I had always wanted. Perhaps moving to Jasper wasn't such a bad idea after all.

 **Alright twenty pages later, and we have the ending of the first chapter! Yay! The word count before all these author notes ended up being exactly 5,555 so that was fun. Anyway, more chapters to come soon enough! Until then, please A.R.F.! That means to Alert, Review, and favorite! The R is my favorite!**


	2. Chapter 2

**This chapter was certainly an adventure to write. Every time I got the chance to finally write something, I would get dragged away to deal with something else. School and work are my two priorities. However, my family keeps making me do stuff too. But I finally got it done! It is beautiful, if I do say so myself. I really hope you guys enjoy it as much as I enjoyed writing it!**

 **Oh, and thanks for all the wonderful reviews! They always make me smile. I did receive one that asked about the pairing for this story. It will be a Ratchet/OC. He's my favorite. There's just something about the grumpy, old medic that I love! I know there's other stories with this pairing, but I assure you, mine will be unique. I already have tons of plans for it! So just sit back and enjoy the ride. It will definitely be worth it.**

 **Disclaimer: I no own.**

 **Chapter Two:**

I looked around at the bots surrounding us, still trying to wrap my mind around all of this. Big bot had just gotten done with explaining his past to us. Honestly, it was pretty scary to think about. Megatron was pretty scary to think about. Looking up at these bots, they were literally titans in our world. If this Megatron really wanted to squish us all, could we even stop him.

But then again, the good guys are just as big as the bad guys. They seemed to have every intention on saving our small, helpless planet. I knew that, without them, we had no shot. Our home literally was in the hands of these five titans. That also rose the question of how many enemies were there on the other side?

"And since the Decepticons know of our existence, I fear they now know of yours."

Wait. What?

I looked up at big bot, my eyes were wide in fear. If they knew of our existence, they would think we're the enemy because we were in contact with the Autobots. They could capture us, and torture us for information. Or simply kill us for siding with the enemy. After all, we're so tiny compared to them. They could seriously do some damage.

"Got it, we see any strange vehicles, we call 911. Can we go home now?" Jack asked, seemingly disinterested. I could note the trace of fear in his voice, however.

"What!" I exclaimed, and looked at Jack as if he were insane. "Jack, if these Decepticons are as big as the Autobots, then they can easily step on us. Something tells me the cops aren't gonna be able to help us here." I reasoned.

"Yeah! And also I'm living the dream here in Botswana, and I will not allow you, or anyone else to shatter it." Miko added. I rolled my eyes at that. Of course she wouldn't be concerned about the dangers that would entail if we got mixed in with these guys.

"It is best that you four remain under our watch. At least until we can determine our enemies' intentions." The big guy informed us. I really needed to learn all of their names. Perhaps we should've introduced ourselves before we started story telling. Mostly I just wanted to stop mentally calling him big guy.

"Optimus." One of the bots said, and we all turned to the red and white one. Well, at least I finally knew the big bots name. I had to admit, it was different. I chuckled quietly, thinking about how interesting it was that his name was Latin. It was even funnier knowing that Optimus literally meant "The Best" in Latin. I suppose that explained why he was the leader. "With all due respect, the children- "

"Children!" Jack and I exclaimed. I myself felt a little offended by the term. Once you hit a certain age, you can't help but feel irritated when someone calls you a child. I was of legal drinking age, so I definitely was not a child.

"-are in as much danger here, as they are anywhere. They have no protective shell! If they get underfoot, they'll go squish." He continued, ignoring our exclamation. I also noted the disgust in his voice when he said the word "squish".

"Then for the time being, Ratchet, we must watch our step." Optimus responded firmly. Finally, we knew the name of the final bot.

As soon as he finished that sentence, a bunch of alarms began going off, startling me and the other three humans. "What in the world is that?" I asked while holding my ears. The noise was annoyingly loud. Ratchet walked over to the computer and began typing something

Bumblebee once again starts clicking and whirring. Jack, Miko and I exchanged confused looks and then turned to Raf. "Proximity sensors. Someone's up top." He clarified for us. Okay, that made sense then. At least it wasn't something really bad… unless it was a bad guy on top. They didn't say who it was up there.

"It's Agent Fowler." Ratchet grumped when a small screen appeared, showing the picture of a man approaching from the roof. Something told me Ratchet didn't care much for this man, whoever he was. Of course, I also felt like he was the kind of Mech who didn't show his feeling very often, but he actually cared quite a bit. There was something about him that was actually quite intriguing and I really wanted to get to know him more.

"I thought we were the only humans who knew about you guys." Jack commented. I, too, had gotten that impression. However, it made sense that the government did as well. How else would they have gotten this base?

"Special Agent Fowler is our designated liaison to the outside world. As he tends to only visit when there are… issues. It may be best you do not meet him at this time." Optimus explained, looking down at us. We nodded and quickly ran over to a wall, near a staircase, to hide. I heard a door open and the small footsteps of a man.

"Seven wrecks, thirty-four fender benders, a three-hour traffic jam! And, on a particular note, numerous reports of a speeding motorcycle of unknown make, and a black and yellow custom muscle car." The Fowler guy spoke. I peeked around the corner and saw the man from the picture on Ratchets computer. I could understand why Ratchet seemed annoyed by the mans present. He was quite rude. "Anything you care to get off your tin chest, Prime!"

I winced. That was really hurtful. I immediately felt a strong dislike for Fowler. He sounded quite obnoxious, in my opinion.

"We have the situation under control, Agent Fowler." Optimus tried to assure the man. He didn't seem to buy it and asked if they- which I assumed he meant the Cons- were back. "If you are referring to the Decepticons, I have doubts they ever left. Your planet is much too valuable."

"Then it's time to wake up the Pentagon." Fowler said firmly. I resisted the urge to scoff. Trying to imagine those tiny humans fight something as large at the Decepticons was honestly humorous. I knew we were a stubborn species, but this honestly felt like a suicide mission.

Optimus tied to explain to him that they were our best, and possibly only, defense against the Decepticons and I couldn't help but agree him like. Like I said, suicide mission. Fowler was persistent though. He believes the humans could handle it themselves.

"Hey fleshy, did anyone get splattered on that freeway? Team Prime knows how to use force." Bulkhead, who was the one currently speaking, picked up an item. "And how much to use." He finished, crushing the item as he spoke.

"Bulkhead! I NEEDED THAT!" Ratchet yelled, irritably. I felt bad for him in that moment. Something told me this was a normal occurrence between the two of them.

"Enough." Prime ordered sternly before turning back to Fowler. "Military involvement will only result in catastrophe. Perhaps you can condone widespread human casualties, but I cannot." I had to admit, that was a pretty good comeback. One that seemed to work.

"Then do us both a favor and handle this Prime, under the radar." Fowler warned before he headed back to the elevator. Right before it closed, he finished his warning, "Or I will." And then he was gone, thankfully. The four of us came out of hiding. Honestly I couldn't believe how rude Fowler had been to the bots. Clearly he held no respect for the beings who were here to help protect his home.

"Pretty big bearings for a human." Bulkhead looked up to his leader. Optimus hummed. "Agent Fowler is concerned for his world, Bulkhead, as he should me."

"How reassuring." I sighed. The bots all looked at me when I said that, their expression varying from pity to concern. However, they broke their gaze when the computer started beeping. Ratchet looked at a small screen located at his wrist and growled. "Blasted Earth tech. CliffJumpers signaled just popped back online."

"Who's Cliffjumper?" Miko asked, but none of the bots answered her.

"How is that possible?" Optimus asked, and I noted the concern in his eyes. I wondered what that could mean, exactly. Ratchet shook his head in frustration. "It isn't. Another bug, the systems chocked full of them."

"If there's any hope that Cliff is alive- "Arcee trailed off with hope. I couldn't help but feel hopeful for her as well.

"Ratchet, prepare sickbay. We may need it." Optimus ordered. Then, much to my surprise, a battle mask slid down on his face. That was pretty cool, I had to admit. "Hey!" Miko exclaimed, catching the attention of everyone. "What can we do?"

"Remain with Ratchet." He replied, not to my surprise. Something told me there was going to be a fight, and I really did not want to be mixed up in that. Miko was quite disappointed however, and so was Ratchet. It was honestly kind of funny.

I jumped in surprise when the wall next to us turned green, blue, and white. The colors swirled and I thought it looked like some kind of portal. It was pretty awesome and I wanted to say something about what it was.

However, I had no chance to retort when my vision sort of went black. I looked around, confused. What had just happened. Was everyone experiencing this.

" _No, my child. Only you see this vision."_

I gasped. The voice was male in tone, however, it had the same robotic rasp that the Autobots had. "Who's there?" I asked the black nothingness. I heard slight chuckling, but I noted that it was threatening at all. It was warm and comforting, I felt safe despite the fear I was currently feeling. That was quite an odd feeling.

" _I have been watching you for some time. I brought you here to the Autobots because it was your destiny. Do not fear, child. I am a friend."_

I still saw nothing, but I relaxed at those words. I didn't know why, but I believed them. "Why was it my destiny to meet the Autobots?" I asked.

" _You will find out soon enough. I cannot tell you everything quite yet. You are still so young. I will say tell you that you are a vital piece to ending this war, once and for all."_

"Me? But I'm only human. What could I possibly do against a bunch of giant Decepticons?"

" _In due time, my child. For now, you must follow the Autobots through the ground bridge. I have a very important mission for you to complete. Do not worry, I will keep you safe from harm. Only seconds have passed since this vision started. You must be swift, I will make sure Ratchet and the other human children do not see you."_

I wasn't able to say another word as the vision melted away and suddenly I was in the base once more. I turned to see the Autobots transform and go through the portal.

"What, was that?" Jack asked Ratchet after a second of silence. The portal think remained open, but Ratchet did not seem to notice. I slowly walked away from the others, and slid down to ground level. Then, against my better judgement, I ran towards the portal thing.

I vaguely heard Ratchet explaining about how the portal thing was called a Groundbridge before I went through. I came out the other end and I was in what looked like a cave.

"Whoa!" I gasped, and jumped out of the way when a stray shot from a Decepticon nearly hit me. The Autobots were in the middle of a battle with them. I watched in amazement as they fought. They were in sync as they moved, quickly taking down any Con that came their way.

Then they transformed into vehicle modes, and shot off. I quickly ran after them. _"This way, child."_ The voice said, guiding me towards another path. It led me down to an open area where there was a bunch of blue crystal.

"I looked up and saw the Autobots and Decepticons once again locked in battle. It looked like some weird mining area. There was a weird looking contraption that had orange rings going up all the way through the roof of the cave.

I gasped when a body suddenly fell from the ceiling, landing right in front of me. Vaguely I heard someone shouting about how something was gonna blow, and the Autobots rolling out. However, I felt as if I was in a trance as I walked over to bot that had fallen. It glowed a weird purple and, when I saw its eyes, it stared back soullessly. It was like a monster.

There was a huge explosion, but I ignored it. I felt as if there was some kind of force field protecting me, so I wasn't afraid.

" _You must touch his chest, where his spark would be located."_ The voice instructed. All around me, debris fell, but nothing hit us. The fire was blue, but again, the flame did not get near us. As I reached forward, my hand began glowing a bright white. I touched his chest, and suddenly the white engulfed everything. I shielded my eyes with my free hand.

It took several seconds, but soon the glow lessoned more and more before disappearing altogether. I opened my eyes and gasped at what I saw.

The bot was no longer cut in half, instead he was a full mech once more. His armor shined brightly, looking as if it had never been stretched. The purple glow was gone, and while his optics were dark, I knew they were no longer soulless. His chest was warm to the touch and I could vaguely feel it beating beneath my palm.

The cave had finish collapsing, and the fire ceased burning. Looking up, I could see the sky. The roof had literally been blown off.

I looked down at the bot, just in time to see his optics come back on. The color was a beautiful blue instead of the park purple it had been. He stared at me, and I could tell he was trying to process what had happened.

"Well, this is certainly unexpected." He finally remarked and I couldn't help but laugh. He pushed himself up while cradling me in one of his hands. "The name's Cliffjumper, might I know the name of my savior?" He joked with a grin.

I grinned back at him. "Jessica. And I believe there's a team of Autobots who believe your dead. Want to go break their hearts?" I joked back. He laughed at that. "Something tells me I'm gonna like you kid."

I didn't bother correcting him, instead choosing to let it go this one time. After all, I had literally just brought him back from the dead. Something I couldn't believe I was capable of doing. _"You have done well, child. I will see you soon."_

Cliffjumper pressed the side of his head. "Cliff to base. If you guys can hear this, I'd really appreciate a Groundbridge. Me and my new human friend."

 **Autobot Base (3POV)**

Ratchet stared down at the twelve-year-old boy who had just fixed his computer. He hadn't even been able to figure out how to do that and he did it in only seconds. Perhaps he could learn a thing or two from the boy. Ratchet never thought he would think that about a human.

" _ **Ratchet! Bridge us back! Use the arrival coordinates, NOW!"**_ Ratchet jumped slightly at the amount of authority Optimus used in that one statement. Something told him this was an emergency. Quickly, he pulled the lever to activate the Groundbridge.

Arcee, Bulkhead and Bumble sped through, with Optimus not too far behind. There was a blue glow behind Optimus and Ratchet turned it off as soon as they were throw, cutting it off. "Cutting it a bit close." Ratchet said, having realized it had been an energon explosion. "Cliffjumper?"

Everyone's attention turned to Arcee, but she was looking sadly at the ground. Miko, who hadn't quite grasped the severity of the situation, ran forward and began shooting off questions quickly. "What was that explosion? Was there a fight? Can I come next time?"

Arcee glared down at the girl. "Look…" She began, but didn't finish. Jack grabbed her by the arm and pulled her back, shooting Arcee an apologetic look. Optimus then asked Arcee what she saw. "Not Cliff, at least, not anymore. He was mutated, butchered, like something from those con experiments during the war…" Arcee trailed off, before stumbling. She had to use a crate to support herself.

Bumblebee beeped, asking her if she was okay. "I'm fine, just dizzy." She waved him away. The children exchanged looks.

"Robots who can get dizzy?" Miko questioned. "Robots with emotions." Jack added and Raf finished by saying, "Robots who can die."

It was at that moment when all of them seem to have awakened, in a way. They realized, almost at once, that Jessica was missing. "Um, where's Jess?" Jack asked. Everyone looked around, almost as if they expected her to just pop up.

"She didn't follow us in, did she?" Bulkhead asked, looking at the Groundbridge with worry.

Ratchet walked over to Arcee and scanned her, but still listening intently to the conversation. The scanner glowed blue except on a spot on her hand. It was red. He gently held her hand up. "What's this?" He asked.

Everyone's attention was once again shifted to the two of them, but Jack couldn't help but feel worried still. "I dunno, Cliff was covered in it, leaking it." Arcee replied. Ratchet took a knife and scrapped up the purple goo.

"Go and take a decontamination bath. Now." He ordered. Bumblebee helped her up and guided her out of the room. Ratchet then walked away to examine the purple goo.

"Okay, I don't see Jessica anywhere, I'm starting to get worry." Jack piped up again. Optimus looked down at the human. "When did you see her last?" He asked.

"I guess it was right before you guys went through the Groundbridge." He replied worriedly. Bulkhead frowned. "No one could've survived that explosion. If she went with us, then I don't think she's alive anymore." He said, panic clear in his tone.

Jack felt the tears in his eyes. She couldn't really be gone. Could she?

There was a beep and everyone turned towards the computer. _**"Cliff to base. If you guys can hear this, I'd really appreciate a Groundbridge. Me and my new human friend."**_

"Cliffjumper?" Ratchet gasped and quickly ran over to the computer. Arcee reemerged with a frown on her face. "That's not possible, I saw him with my own optics. He was gone." She said, her voice betraying her sadness.

" _ **I can assure you, Cee. I'm very much alive."**_

Arcee gasped this time, recognizing his voiceprint. She analyzed it again and again, but the data came up the same. It wasn't a recording, nor was it some kind of Decepticon trick. This was really Cliffjumper. He was alive. But how?

Ratchet looked over to Optimus, who was looking at Arcee. She nodded once, giving him all the information he needed. "Ratchet, let him in." Optimus decided.

He activated the Groundbridge, while Bee, Bulkhead and Optimus raised their weapons in case it was a trick. The humans watched curiously. Jack had heard him say something about a human friend and he really hoped that meant Jessica.

The Groundbridge glowed and in walked a very familiar red bot, carrying a very familiar red-headed girl. They lowered their weapons when they saw him. They knew it was him. Cliffjumper was alive. Jessica grinned brightly. She knew that she had done something good. Even if she had no idea how she had done it.

 **(Jessica's POV, a few minutes before)**

I sat cradled in CliffJumpers hand and thought about what had just happened. I really couldn't explain it. And what was with that vision? Was I losing my mind again. I really did not want to get committed again, especially with my new friends.

I bit my lip and looked up at Cliff. He had a grin on his face. "I can assure you, Cee. I'm very much alive." He talked into the Comm link again. I really did not want the others to know about my powers, if that's what they even were. At least, not until I really understood them myself. I didn't want anyone to think I was crazy, especially not her new friends.

"Um Cliffjumper, can I ask you a favor?" I asked him nervously. He grinned at me and told me to shoot. "Can we keep what happened here a secret, at least for now. I really want to wrap my head around the fact that I apparently have powers."

Cliff frowned slightly, but I could see the understanding in his optics. "Of course, it's your secret to tell. I think you should eventually tell them what happened though, they're gonna have questions."

"I know… I'm sorry…" I trailed off miserably. I hated making him lie to his family.

"Hey, don't worry about it, kid. It's not the first time I've kept a secret." Cliff assured me. After he said that, the Groundbridge appeared right in front of us. "Now common, I'm pretty sure they're all freaking out in there right now. Let's go spoke some bots." He winked.

I giggled and nodded. Cliffjumper walked us towards the Groundbridge and went through. I winced slightly at the feeling. That was definitely going to take some getting used too. I heard the powering up of weapons as we stepped into the other side. However, they quickly powered down when they realized it was indeed Cliffjumper and I.

"Cliff… but… how? I saw you, you were dead." Arcee chocked. She walked forward to stand in front of us. I felt as if I were interrupting a private moment by the way the two of them were staring at each other.

"It's a long story, Cee. And you'll have to trust me on this, but I can't tell you what happened. At least, not yet. Trust know that I'm okay, and that I'm alive." He explained to her. Arcee looked as if she wanted to cry. She flung her hands around his neck and hugged him gently, careful to avoid squishing me thankfully. I didn't just bring one bot back from the dead, only for me to go instead.

"We are glad to you see are well, Cliffjumper." Optimus said when they broke apart. Cliffjumper smiled at his leader. "Thank you, Optimus." He told him simply.

That was when the attention turned to me. And the bots did not look very happy. Well dang. "Following us was an unwise thing to do, Jessica. You could've been killed." Optimus reprimanded softly. I looked down at the ground, slightly ashamed.

"I'm sorry, but I did what I had to do. I can't explain why, but it's true." I looked back up at the leader, feeling confident for once. "I am not a child either. I know of the dangers, and I won't be treated as such. I would appreciate if you all remembered that."

Optimus seemed think over my statement for a moment. I had clearly stunned the Autobot. Oddly, I felt a sense of accomplishment at that. I'm sure he didn't get surprised very often. "Understood. We will give you the same respect we would any adult who would cross our paths. I do suggest training if you plan to continue joining us on missions, however."

Now _I_ was stunned. I hadn't thought he would seriously consider allowing me to join them. "That's fair." I finally managed to say.

Jack came up to me and gave me a hug. "I was worried about you. Next time, let someone know before you do something dangerous like that, okay?" He asked me. I promised him to do so, while chuckling slightly. I hadn't realized Jack was so protective.

Jack took his phone out, and frowned. I took mine out as well and saw that there were no bars in here. "Umm, Optimus. I hate to bug, but no bars?" Jack asked. Optimus turned to face us and informed us that it was a security measure. The silo walls isolated radio waves. Great. If we were going to be here a lot, that meant we wouldn't have our cell phones. We would definitely need to get the Wi-Fi passwords. "Well, if I don't call my mom, like now, I'm pretty sure the cops will be after me."

Optimus got kind of close to Jacks face, looking at him suspiciously. "Have you broken a law?"

Jack shook his head. "Curfew."

"I better get home too, or I'll be ground for a year." Raf added. I wasn't worried about when I was home or anything. I didn't have a curfew. However, I knew my parents would at least like to know where I was. I had no clue how I was going to explain all this to them.

You know, without actually explaining it to them.

"Earth customs, I hadn't considered. But the issue of your safety still remains." Optimus informed us. He turned to Bulkhead. "Bulkhead, accompany Miko home." He ordered.

"Sweet! My host parents will freak!" Miko exclaimed with excitement. However, that was quickly dashed when Optimus told Bulkhead to maintain covert surveillance in vehicle home. "Curbside duty, got it." Bulkhead nodded.

"Bumblebee, you'll watch over Raf." Optimus told him. Bumblebee and Raf shared an excited look and I honestly thought it was quite adorable. "Arcee, you'll accompany Jack."

Optimus then turned to look at me, humming thoughtfully. I smiled slightly, unsure of what else to do. He turned to Cliffjumper. "Cliffjumper, are you well enough to accompany Jessica home?" He asked the red mech.

"Yip-ip-ip! I need to look over him before he does anything!" Ratchet cut in before Cliffjumper could say a word. Cliff did not look very excited at the idea of a checkup. I chuckled. "Don't worry, unlike these three, I don't have a curfew. Perks of being an adult." I winked at my new human friends. Jack grinned back at me, while Miko stuck her tongue out.

"Sounds good to me, Optimus." Cliffjumper agreed.

The three guardian bots transformed and allowed their new charges either in or on them, before driving out of the silo. I watched them go before turning to my new guardian. He bent down, offering his hand, and I stepped unto it, and then sat down.

Ratchet led the two of us towards the sickbay. It still amazed me how large everything here was. I was in the company of titans now. I was just glad they were on our side and not the other side. I tried to imagine if I was in the same room as Megatron, and shuddered at the thought. I never wanted to be near the Decepticon warlord.

When we got to the sickbay, Cliff went straight to one of the berths. Before sitting down, he set me down on a nearby counter. I watched as Ratchet went through a variety of tests, fascinated. I wondered about their biological makings. They seemed so similar to humans, and yet so different. It was intriguing, for lack of a better word.

"Hey Ratchet?" I called after a couple minutes of silence.

"What?" He grumbled, clearly not liking the interruption. I didn't let that stop me, however. "I was wondering if you could teach me about Cybertronian biology? I would love to know all about you guys and where you come from." I asked.

Ratchet seemed taken back. He paused his work on my guardian and looked at me. "Why would you be interested in something like that?" He asked, a little suspiciously.

"I guess because you guys are so different from us, and yet just the same. I've study the human body, and I guess, in a way, I want to compare notes." I answered with a shrug. Both Cliff and Ratchet were staring at me, and I looked down at the counter I was standing on, blushing slightly. I wasn't used to so much attention.

"Well, if you're sure, I suppose I could show you a thing or two. It would be a good idea to know about humans as well. It might also be good to have an assistant. Your tiny hands can get into place I cannot." Ratchet finally answered.

A large grin broke crossed my face. I couldn't believe he had agreed. I honestly hadn't expected him to. "Thank you Ratchet! I promise to listen and not waste any of your time." I assured him.

"Good, because that is my only condition. I'm only willing to teach, if you're willing to learn. Here." He walked over to a drawer and pulled something out. "Read over this tonight. It gives a basic break down of the Cybertronian body. We'll discuss it more tomorrow."

He handed me a device that reminded me of an IPad or a kindle. When I pushed the power button on, a bunch of symbols appeared. "There's an option at the top to translate the words into English." Ratchet showed me. I found that I didn't need the translation. I could actually read the words just fine. I didn't know how or why, but I figured it had something to do with the vision voice, so I didn't say anything.

"Thank you again. I'll look it over as soon as I get home." I put the item in my bag and zipped it back up. Ratchet nodded at me before turning his attention back to Cliffjumper, who had been surprisingly quiet throughout the whole process. When I looked back at him, I realize he had been looking at me. I smiled at him.

"Well, Cliffjumper, everything seems fine. You should be good to accompany Jessica home." Ratchet cleared Cliff. Cliff hopped up and smirked at the medic. "Could've told you that myself, doc."

Ratchet huffed, and glared. "Don't call me that." He grumbled irately.

Cliffjumper offered me his hand once more and I accepted. I waved goodbye to Ratchet as he walked us back into the main room. Then he set me back on the ground so he could transform. I admired the car he had become, and laughed slightly at the horns. That was probably my favorite thing about his appearance. It suited him.

I climbed into the front seat. I buckled my seat belt and he sped out of the base. The ride was filled with the two of us joking and laughing. Cliffjumper was certainly going to be an interesting guardian. I looked forward to all to getting to know him more.

However, my thoughts couldn't help but think about a certain grumpy medic back at the base. I wondered how our lessons would go and I really hoped I wouldn't disappoint him. I wanted Ratchet to be proud of me and think that I was worth the effort. Most of all, I wanted to get to know him. Something seemed to draw me towards the medic and I didn't know why.

But I was determined to find out.

 **And that was the end of this chapter! Seems Jessica has a pull towards our favorite medic. That's interesting, right? I hoped you guys like the little twist I added. I hate it when bots die. They're my babies and that should not be a thing that happens. So, if you've read my other Transformer story, Dreams, then you'll know I have a habit of bringing them back to life. Anyways, I'll see you in the next chapter! Jessica is out! Peace!**

 **Oh, and remember to A.R.F. That means Alert, Review, and Favorite! Especially the review one, it's my favorite! See ya soon! Bye!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello everybody! I finally finished the next chapter. It took me a few days to get started on it, mostly because I was disappointed with getting very few reviews. I got more on the first chapter than I did the second. I need that motivation. So thank you to the few who did review! I love all of you!**

 **Also, just a little heads up, there's a sort of dream/vision sequence that might be a little confusing. Basically it starts out a dream, but kind of blends into a vision. I say the vision actually starts when she ages up. You'll understand when you get there.**

 **Anyway, enjoy!**

Chapter Three

Cliffjumper dropped me off at my house before parking a crossed the street. I waved goodbye at him as I walked into the front door of my house. It was a little late, but I knew my parents wouldn't care. They'd just be happy I got out of the house and explored our new home town for a while.

I went straight upstairs to my room and flipped on my bedroom light. Then I pulled out the datapad Ratchet had given me and began looking over it. I read over the information, instantly getting sucked in. It all about their protoforms. According to the datapad, it was the first stage in a Cybertronians life cycle.

" _Protoforms consist of an unspecified, free-flowing, metallic matter layered over basic robotic systems. A protoform is the first stage in a Transformer's life cycle. They only await a life-giving spark and the alt-form information necessary to transform them into fully functional, living Transformer beings. Often, protoform modes are used to transport Cybertronians on intergalactic journeys. Protoforms are transported, or stored in stasis lock. When not in stasis lock, protoforms are a roiling mass of liquid metal around their internal frame."_

I read everything in the datapad, completely absorbed in the words. It wasn't until my eyes started burning that I remembered I needed to get some sleep. I grabbed my phone and looked at the time. It was just after three in the morning. "Guess I should go to sleep." I mumbled to myself and began to change into night clothing.

Then I switched off the datapad and crawled under the covers on my bed. I plugged my phone in and then switched off my lamp. It didn't even take me ten minutes to switch off.

 _An eight-year-old girl was sitting beside a lake. She couldn't help but admired how beautiful it was. She thought it was the bluest lake she had ever seen. It glowed brightly, the color was mesmerizing._

 _Then a shadow was cast above her, shadowing a large area. She turned around and looked up. There was a really tall robotic organism standing up her, looking down with curious optics. The two of their stared at each other, neither willing to look away first. His optics glowed the same bright blue as the lake in front of her._

" _Who are you?" She asked curiously._

 _The robotic organism tilted his head, not understanding the language she spoke. He scanned through information provided by the world wide web. Once he figured out she was speaking English, he downloaded all the necessary information so he could speak it as well. It took him less than a minutes._

" _My designation is First Aid." He finally replied. "I am from a faraway planet known as Cybertron. I am also an Autobot trainee medic."_

 _The girl giggled. He sounded so different from herself and he looked way different than anything she knew. "You're an alien? Mommy always said aliens were not real." She asked, not necessarily in disbelief, but more like wonderment._

 _First Aid chuckled. "I assure you, I am very much real. Though I am unsure of how I ended up here. Last thing I remember was fleeing Iacon during a Decepticon attack. I woke up here. Where am I?" He asked the small human femme._

" _Earth! It's my home." She looked around. "I'm not sure where we are though… I don't know how I got here." She said distressed. She blinked, and suddenly she had become a twenty-one-year-old woman once more. It was kind of trippy to go from eight to twenty-one. Now she knew everything though._

 _First Aid was shocked. How did the human femme change so quickly? "Who are you?" He asked this time, his voice now carrying a hint of caution._

 _Jessica smiled shyly up at the bot. "My name is Jessica, I'm human of course. I believe this is a dream. And I think we are sharing it. I'm way to aware for this to be a regular dream and I don't think it's lucid." First Aid thought that made sense. "Do you know where you are located?" She asked him, her tone now serious._

 _He tilted his head. Did she know something that he didn't? "I am not sure. I have been offline for a long time. I think my body is in stasis mode."_

 _Jessica hummed. "Well, I know where Optimus Prime is." His optics widened at that. He'd never had a chance to work with Optimus Prime before, but he hoped to one day. Ratchet had told him stories about Prime during the brief time he'd studied under him. "If you become aware, you must head to a planet called Earth. I believe all the information you downloaded in order to talk to me will follow you when you come online."_

 _First Aid frowned. "How do you know all of this? And how is any of this even possible?"_

 _Jessica didn't answer for several moments. She, too, wondered how it was possible. In fact, she wondered if she really was just dreaming. Something told her that wasn't the case, however. She was really talking to First Aid, and she was helping him find Team Prime. She only hoped it was enough._

" _I don't know."_

The sound of the alarm on my phone woke me up the next morning. I reached for my phone, vision blurry as I tried adjusting to the land of the living once more. Finally, I was able to grab my phone and shut the offending noise off.

I went over the dream I had, trying to make sense of it. Was it simply the result of meeting the Autobots yesterday?

I couldn't think of any other reason why I would dream of something like that. It just wasn't possible to share dreams. However, a lot of weird things have been happening lately. Not only have I been hearing a weird voice in my head, but I brought Cliffjumper back to life! That was a lot for me to process.

It was like I was becoming the girl I was before I had been committed. I didn't want to go through that again, but I knew my parents wouldn't hesitate if they thought I was relapsing. I had to shake this off. This cannot bring me down again.

I pushed myself out of bed and quickly got ready for the day. I had set my alarm to wake me up at eight thirty. Despite getting only five hours of sleep, I felt pretty wide awake. That was good, because something told me today would be another long day.

Quickly, I changed into regular clothing and then grabbed the datapad Ratchet had let me borrow. I nearly left my phone as well, but I didn't. So all was good.

My parents were sitting in the living room, watching tv when I came downstairs. "Going out already?" My mom asked me. I nodded. "Yeah, I'm gonna go hang out with Jack before school starts tomorrow for me tomorrow."

"We'll have fun." My dad waved as I walked towards the door. I waved back before leaving. Cliff was still a crossed the street, waiting for me, so I went straight to him. "Morning Cliff." I smiled when he popped the door open.

"Good morning, did you do your homework." He asked jokingly. I held up the datapad with a satisfied smirk. "Read every single last word. It was actually quite interesting." I replied as he took off towards the base.

"Oh yeah. I always found biology quite boring."

"Well, that's because it was about your species. I find anatomy to be quite boring sometimes too, but I study anyways because I want to be a doctor. But learning about a new species is incredible, especially since I'm one of the few humans who know about aliens existing." I gushed, giggling giddily.

He chuckled. "Whatever you say, kid."

I lightly kicked his dash, much to his protest. "Dude, I am not a kid. Stop calling me that!" I huffed indignantly.

"Compared to me, you are most definitely a kid. I'm thousands of years older than you, and still considered pretty young." Cliff reminded me.

"Well, that's compared to your species. Here I'm legally an adult now. I can drink alcohol." I grinned proudly. Drinking was not something I really ever did though. I was supposed to take meds, but I hardly ever did. They usually just made me really sleepy. My parents were okay with me not taking them as long as I felt fine. If they thought I had any chance of relapsing, they'd force the pills down my throat though.

"Alcohol? Hmm, I think that's kind of like high grade energon. That's what Cybertronians drink for fun. It makes everyone silly, and do stupid thing. Basically it impairs our judgement." Cliff explained.

"Yep, that's alcohol."

"Huh, we'll have to drink together sometime. I'm sure that would be interesting." Cliff said, and I could practically hear the smile in his voice.

"Drunk giant robotic organisms, yep, that should be fun." I giggled. We pulled into the base then, effectively cutting off conversation. When we arrived in the main room, I hopped out of Cliff so he could transform.

"Alright, I'm gonna go get some energon. I'm sure Ratchet will be ready to go over your notes from the night before." He smirked before turning around and walking further into the silo. I watched him go before heading towards Ratchet.

He was standing at a computer, messing with something. "Good morning Ratchet." I called up to him. He looked down at me and nodded. "Good morning, Jessica. I will be with you in just a moment, I need to finish looking over the purple substance found on Arcee yesterday." He told me before turning back around.

I hummed quietly to myself and looked around the silo. Everyone else was gone so it was honestly kind of boring. My eyes caught sight of something on the ground, so I curiously walked over. I saw the broken equipment that bulkhead had crushed the day before. It seemed to absorb the purple substance on the ground.

My eyes widened when the equipment began to shift and pull together to form a scary spider-like minibot. It glared at me, lifting the blade up threatening. "R-" I tried to say, but was cut off when the thing charged at me.

I squeaked and dived out of the way, painfully hitting the ground. It was quicker than I was at getting up and pounced on me. "RATCHET!" I screamed as I tried to block his arm so the blade wouldn't pierce my skin.

Ratchet turned around quickly, noting the distress in my voice. "By the Allspark!" He gasped. My hand slipped and the bots blade sunk into my arm, plunging deep into my flesh. I cried out in pain before Ratchet arrived and knocked the thing off me. The blade yanked out of my skin, and I groaned in pain. Blood gushed from the wound.

While Ratchet was distracted by the terror bot, I used my uninjured hand to tank off my tank top that I wore beneath my shirt. It wasn't an easy task and it hurt like hell, but I knew it needed to be done.

"I NEEDED THAT!" I heard Ratchet yelled. I heard a crash and looked up to see that Ratchet had been pushed into his computer. Just how strong was this little bugger. I got my tank free and quickly tied it around the injured area.

"Leave him alone!" I shouted. The bot was about to attack Ratchet, who was still down, and I knew I had to distract it long enough for Ratchet to collect himself. The minibot turned back to me and lunged at me again.

However, it never even got close. I was suddenly scooped up by a warm, metallic hand. I heard a shot and it went down. "Take that, you little shit!" I sneered down at it before looking up to see that my guardian was my rescuer. He looked back at me concern, probably because of my bleeding arm.

"It's good, I'm okay." I assured him.

Optimus, who was the one to shot the minibot, retract his gun. The bot went to stand back up, but Optimus crushed it with his foot. "Whoa." I mumbled. That was certainly not what I expected to happen when I came here today.

"And stay broken." Ratchet growled before turning to Optimus and Cliffjumper. "Now what could have caused that?"

"I have a grave suspicion, Ratchet. Dark energon." Optimus replied gravely. "If the residue Arcee found on Cliffjumper brought your equipment back to life, it would stand to reason the very same substance brought Cliffjumper back to life." Optimus explained as he put the crushed minibot in a metal cylinder and then put it into storage.

"So that's what he had those weird purple optics." I muttered to myself, momentarily forgetting that all the bots had super hearing.

"What was that?" Ratchet frowned suspiciously.

"Uh, nothing?" I chuckled nervously. I still wasn't ready to let them know I was the one who brought Cliff back to life. I looked up at Cliff desperately. He quickly got the hint. "Uh, doc, why don't you look over Jessica's arm. It looks like the tiny bot from the pit did a number on her arm. She leaking like crazy."

Ratchet was still slightly suspicious, but the doctor in him kicked in. "It doesn't make any sense, any of this. I suppose that explains why your signal came back the first time." Ratchet took me from Cliff and walked towards the med bay, Optimus and Cliff following. "Though I'd like to know how you came back in the first place. Arcee said you had been mutilated, like some con experiment."

"I told you doc, I can't explain it. Not right now, at least." Cliff sighed, obviously irritated from Ratchets persistence. I wondered how much they'd been bothering him about it. I hope not too much, I already felt bad for making him keep secrets from his family.

Ratchet grumbled to himself before setting me on a berth. His optic shut off and I jumped in surprise when a human man suddenly appeared beside me. The man was about six feet tall, with sandy blonde hair and a pretty fit body. He wore a white doctor's lab coat and black glasses. "What the?" I gasped in surprise.

"I suppose you humans don't have this sort of technology yet, do you?" The man asked, and his voice sounded exactly like Ratchet.

"Ratchet?" I asked quietly. I'd never seen anything so incredible before. I reached forward and touched his arm with my good hand. It was solid. Ratchet looked back at me curiously, and I couldn't help but get lost in his glowing blue eyes.

The air seemed to get warmer as we stared at one another, both of us refusing to look away first. Something in that moment shifted and I wasn't sure what it was. All I knew was that I liked it, whatever it was.

Someone cleared their throat, and the two of us looked over at Cliffjumper, who was grinning in amusement. Ratchet coughed and went over to my injury. "Anyways, as I was saying, it just seems impossible for there to be dark energon, it's virtually nonexistent. What would it be doing on Earth?"

He untied the tank top from my arm, which was completely soaked in blood. "It was transported here by Megatron," Optimus told us as Ratchet tried to examine my arm. He couldn't make out where the injury actually was with all the dry blood, so he went to get something to wash it off.

"For what purpose?" He asked Optimus.

Cliffjumper was still grinning down at me and I shot him a glare. That just caused him to chuckle. I swear I was about five seconds away from kicking him. Though that would probably cause me more harm, since he was made of metal.

"To conquer this planet by raising the undead." Optimus answered grimly. My stomach twisted in fear. That did not sound very good.

Ratchet walked back over to me, and took my arm gently in his hand. "Ha ha, well, Megatron will have to break a few toaster ovens. I mean, where on this world will he find that many Cybertronians dead?"

He finished wiping the blood from my arm. However, instead of seeing a wound, my skin was completely healed. There wasn't even a scar. "By the Allspark…" Ratchet whispered astonished. Optimus and Cliffjumper both looked at me with surprise.

"T-that's not possible. I felt the blade sink into my skin. It hurt like hell." I gasped in disbelief. There was no way I wasn't injured. I mean, my tank top was soaked through with blood. There was blood on my shirt that I was wearing right now too and I wouldn't be surprised if there was some on the floor in the main room.

Ratchet's human form thing disappeared and his optics opened once more. Then I felt something tingly run through my body. He had just scanned me. "That's impossible…" He trailed off, while looking at me as if I were a ghost or something.

"What? What is it?" I asked, my heart pounding in anticipation. Ratchet didn't answer me, instead turning to Optimus. Cliffjumper reached forward and offered the palm of his hand. I quickly climbed on.

"Optimus, I'm getting an Allspark energy signal from her. She is literally filled with it." Ratchet explained to the boss bot.

Cliffjumper and Optimus both studied me. My cheeks flushed, not quite understanding what was happening. "How is that even possible?" Optimus asked. He frowned, looking concerned now. I wondered what was wrong, and what an Allspark was.

"It's not. But that's not all. The energy isn't new; it's been in her system for years. It's a part of her. There's no way for me to extract it from her." Ratchet answered. He looked so lost, as if he didn't know what to do or make of this situation.

"Um, what's an Allspark?" I asked, scared. Clearly whatever it was, it shouldn't be inside me. If they were reacting this way, it was clearly something bad.

"How come we haven't picked up on it before now?" Cliffjumper asked, all of them ignoring my question. I huffed. Fine, ignore the person that you're all talking about. That's real mature. I'll sit here in confusion.

"I don't know." Ratchet grumbled, shaking his head. "None of this makes sense. However, I'm sure the Decepticons could easily pick up on something like this. Imagine if they got ahold of her. It could mean disaster."

Nobody had a chance to reply before there was the sound of multiple vehicles arriving to the base. The rest had returned. Optimus looked at me once more before turning to Ratchet. "We will figure this at later. Right now, we have other priorities." He told the medic. Ratchet looked at me before nodding in agreement.

We walked into the main room and saw all the others. Cliffjumper put me down and I ran over to my human friends. Jack grinned when he saw me. "Hey Jess" He gave me a one armed hug. When he released me, he looked down with a frown. He saw the blood on my shirt. "What happened? Are you alright?" He asked, slightly panicked.

I shrugged. "It's nothing. I think it's paint. I didn't notice it when I put this shirt on." I made up quickly. He seemed to buy it though because he nodded. Are attention was brought back to Optimus when he began talking again.

"Autobots, prepare to…" Optimus started, but he stopped and looked down at us humans. Arcee asked if he wanted them to roll out after a moment of awkward silence. "Remain here. Ratchet, you'll accompany." Optimus decided before turning to Arcee. "Arcee, we'll be out of communication range for a little bit, so I'm putting you in charge."

Miko looked up at Bulkhead. "Dude, you're the biggest! You should be the boss!" She exclaimed. Bulk shrugged. "Uh, he never picks me."

Ratchet began typing in the coordinates while Arcee, Cliffjumper right behind her, approached Optimus. "Optimus, with all due respect, playing body guard is one thing, babysitting is another." She protested.

"Aw come on, Arcee! It'll be fun!" Cliffjumper grinned, bumping his shoulder into hers playfully. "What?" Arcee was glaring back at him, unamused. He shrugged helplessly before turning Arcee back to Optimus. "Besides, Ratchet hasn't been in the field since the war."

Ratchet turned around and glared at the femme. "My piston may be rusty, but my hearing is as sharp as ever." Ratchet growled.

"For the moment, it is only reconnaissance." Optimus stated, but there was an edge in his voice that Arcee picked up on and questioned. "Arcee, much has changed in the last twenty-four hours and we all need to adapt. Ratchet, bridge us out."

Ratchet opened the bridge and he and Optimus stepped through. When the portal closed, everyone turned to Arcee. "Okay, Chiefie, so uh, what's on the activity list?" Jack asked Arcee. She rolled her eyes. "I'm going on patrol." She deadpanned.

"But Optimus told us to stay put." Bulkhead protested with a frown. Arcee growled, "When you're in charge, you can call the shots. Bee, Cliff, with me." Bee grumbled in Cybertronian, but followed after her as she left the silo. Cliffjumper seemed more amused though as he followed after the other two. "Bulkhead, you're in charge." Arcee called over her shoulder. Then they were gone, transforming as they exited.

"So, uh, what's on the activity list?" Bulkhead asked. Right after he spoke, there was a high pitched sound resonated around the base, forcing us to cover our ears. I knew there was only one person who could be the cause of all that noise. I looked over and saw Miko had plugged her guitar into her speakers. "How about band practice?" She suggested.

"But we're not a band." Raf protested. He didn't seem very interested in the idea, and truthfully, neither was I. "Why so antisocial? Come on Raf! You play something?" Miko asked. Raf shrugged and suggested keyboard. "Laptops and samples, good." She turned to Jack. "Jack?"

"I sometimes mess around with the harmonica." Jack said meekly, rubbing the back of his head. Miko huffed and shook her head. "Do I look country? Just cover yourself in fake blood and jump around." She snapped, before turning to face me next. I shook my head hurriedly. There was no way I was getting into this.

"Sorry Miko, but I'm really not interested in being in a band." I protested. Miko pouted. "Aw, come on! It'll be fun! Everyone else is joining in!"

Lucky for me, I didn't get a chance to answer before the proximity sensors made the room flash green again. I stopped Miko from playing any more, and grabbed her arm, quickly pushing her into hiding. I knew it had to be Fowler, and that meant we had to hide.

All of us went to the closest thing in the room to hide behind, which just so happened to be Bulkheads leg. In retrospect, that probably wasn't the best place to go. However, we were sort of thinking in a panic, so what can you do?

The elevator chimed open and I heard the sound of Fowlers footsteps. "PRIME!" He shouted so loud, the four of us flinched.

"Agent Fowler, uh, he's not here right now. Nobody's here! Except me, of course." Bulkhead explained nervously. I felt bad for him. Fowler was kind of a douche, and Bulkhead didn't deserve his abuse.

"Well, where did he go? Wait, don't tell me he's out pancaking a mini mall." Fowler snarked. I rolled my eyes. Could this man be any more condescending. I think he keeps forgetting that Bulkhead was large enough to squish him. "Now, I don't know what language you bots speak on your planet, but Prime promised he would handle the Decepticons! And blowing a crater in the middle of Nebraska is not what the word handle means. So you tell Prime…"

He was interrupted by the sound of Mikos guitar. I glared at her, but I was madder at myself. Why hadn't I made sure it had been unplugged before we hid. Miko just looked back at me sheepishly. "Since when do the bots electric?" Fowler asked, obviously finding the speakers. I sighed before the four of us came to the other side of Bulkheads foot.

"Hey." I waved nervously. Jack smiled slightly. "How's it going?" He asked.

"Contact with civilians! Team Prime has really gone off the handle this time." Fowler exclaimed. Bulkhead looked at the ground sheepishly. "Wait, don't tell me you're running a daycare center." He huffed.

"Ooooookay…" Bulkhead dragged out, unsure of what to say. I quickly popped in. "Um, we're interns."

"Student interns." Raf added in. Jack and Miko quickly nodded along. "Yeah, we're earning extra credit in auto…" Jack started, but Miko interrupted to finish with, "Robotics."

Fowler wasn't buying it though. "Okay, let's move. I'm taking all four of you into federal custody." He said as he began descending the stairs. "It's for your own protection."

"I don't need protection." I huffed, irately. Bulkhead, however, wasn't going to let Fowler take us anywhere. He stomped a foot between us and the agent, effectively stopping him in his tracks. "We're protecting them." Bulkhead told Fowler.

"Is that so? Well, maybe you can explain that to my superior at the Pentagon." Fowler retorted. He walked over to a phone on the wall, and began dialing a number. But Bulkhead wasn't about to let him get away with that. "Don't use that phone." He said, before using one of his fingers to crush it. "It's broken."

I grinned, cheering internally. Go Bulk!

"This isn't over, Bigfoot." Fowler sneered before storming back up the stairs and to the elevator. "Not by a long shot." He disappeared when the elevator door closed. We were all quiet for a second, each wondering what would happen now.

"Well… he must be fun at parties." I finally said in an effort to break the tense silence. It worked, everyone burst out laughing. Miko began mimicking his actions to make fun of him, causing us all to laugh even harder. We probably would've laughed for a while if it wasn't for yet another alarm to go off. "How many alarms does this place have." I grumbled after nearly jumping out of my own skin.

Bulkhead walked up to the computer and began typing something into it. "It's an SOS from Fowler." Bulkhead said. Raf walked forward. "Can you trace it?" He asked.

"Location scan incomplete." Bulkhead hummed before shrugging. "Oh well."

"Oh well? Seriously?" Jack asked with a frown. I couldn't help but agree with Jack, this most certainly was not a good thing. Bulk tried to comeback with saying that Fowler was a jerk. "Whoa, whether or not you like the guy, the Decepticons have him. No one deserve that." Jack reprimanded. I found it funny that a sixteen-year-old human boy was reprimanding a couple thousand-year-old alien.

"And Agent Fowler know the location of the base… our location" Raf added, going slightly pale with fear. "And did we not just witness how fast Fowler backed down from a bot?" I chimed in. "The cons will totally make him squeal."

"But we lost the transition! Fowler could be anywhere!" Bulkhead exclaimed. Raf pulled out his laptop and began typing on it.

"Maybe I can narrow it down. About five years ago, the government started micro chipping the agents, you know, like owners do with pets." Raf explained to us, much to our astonishment. He shrugged sheepishly. "What! I saw it on TV." He protested before typing some more. "Anyway, if I can hack into the Feds main frame, maybe I can pinpoint Fowler's coordinates."

"You know how to hack?" Jack asked, slightly surprised. Miko shook her head. "But you're like, two years old!"

"Twelve and a quarter." Raf said, slightly amused. I whistled. "Damn. How is it that a twelve-year-old boy can do stuff that me, a twenty-one-year-old woman, can't even do?" I asked with a grin. Raf just shrugged with a shy grin before turning back to his screen again.

A map appeared on the screen. "Latitude 39.5, longitude 116.9" Raf told Bulk proudly. Bulkhead typed the coordinates into the computer and activated the Groundbridge.

"Okay, wait here." Bulkhead ordered as he walked towards the portal. Miko protested, unwilling to 'break up the band', as she puts it. Bulkhead ignored her and turned to me. "Uh, Jessica, you're in charge." He said before turning towards the Groundbridge and running into it.

"Sweet, I'm in charge!" I grinned proudly. Jack chuckled. "Well, I guess we got the run of the place." He said, before looking around the silo. That was when we noticed that Miko was missing. "Miko? Miko!" He exclaimed.

"What should we do? Bulkhead may not even realize that she followed him!" Raf gulped in concern. I huffed in frustration, what was she thinking? "Miko hasn't even seen them in action like we have! She has no idea what the Decepticons are capable of." I groaned.

We all looked over at the Groundbridge. "Those are the coordinates. Their destination is still locked in." Raf said. We all exchanged looks and nodded. But a thought popped into my head. "What about Arcee, Cliff and Bumblebee, or Optimus and Ratchet? They might need a bridge. One of us should stay here just in case." I said.

"Don't look at me, I'm not staying here alone." Raf said when the two of us looked at him. I sighed, but nodded. "Okay, I'll stay. Just find Bulkhead and let him know what's up. Try not to get caught up in the fight." I told them.

They nodded and I activated the Groundbridge, letting them through. As soon as they were gone, I shut it off and waited for something to happen.

However, not even a minute after they left, the world began to go black, much as it had the day before. I blinked several times, but it remained the same emptiness as last time. I must be having another vision.

" _That is correct, child."_

I jumped, somewhat surprising by the voice. I didn't understand why, though, since I knew it was bound to happen. "So am I gonna have a vision every day or something?" I asked, genuinely curious. The voice chuckled.

" _Of course not. Soon enough all will be clear to you and I will no longer be needed."_

"Okay then. Is this the part where you explain to me about how I was able to bring a bot back to life yesterday? Or maybe why I had a dream, but I don't think it was actually a dream, about a bot named First Aid? Oh, or maybe why my skin healed super quickly after being stabbed?" I fired off quickly.

" _All will be revealed in time. You have been chosen to do many great things. However, we must warn you against falling in love. In will only result in more pain and death."_

I frowned, not liking the fact that this mysterious voice was trying to tell me how to live my life. "Um, I'm sorry, did I ask you to butt into my life?" I snapped.

" _My apologizes, I did not mean to offend you. I am just warning you of the possible consequences if you continue down this path."_

"I wasn't even asked to be a part of this, whatever this is. Why do I have to worry about consequences? And why won't you just tell me what's going on? If you're going to mess with my life, I think I deserve an answer."

" _Child, you have been given a chance to do something incredible. You will save many lives, and create new ones. Trust in me, and trust in your own abilities. You will understand when the time is right."_

"Well, that's just a load of bull." I huffed.

" _You are angry because you do not understand. I wish I could say more to you, but it could alter everything. You just have to trust me."_

"And why should I trust you?"

" _Because I am your creator."_

This vision faded away and I was once again brought back to reality. I blinked several times, readjusting to the light. That had certainly been an infuriating conversation. Why couldn't he just give me a straight answer? It wasn't that hard.

" ** _Jessica, I need you to activate a Groundbridge for us."_** Arcee's voice suddenly came from the computer. I locked onto her coordinates and opened the Groundbridge for her and the other two. They drove it, transforming up as the portal closed. Arcee looked seriously pissed.

"At least you have the common sense not to follow Bulkhead to the Decepticon ship." She snarled, clearly irritated with my new friends. I shrugged sheepishly. I would've gone too, but I left like I was needed here more.

Arcee got onto the computer, and imputed the coordinates to the Decepticon warship. "Please remain here." She almost begged, before her and Bee transformed down and disappeared into the open Groundbridge. My guardian grinned down at me. "I can't believe you didn't go." He laughed before transforming down and follow after them.

"Me either." I muttered to the empty room.

 **And that is the end of this chapter! I thought about doing more, but this is about the length of the other chapters, so I figured this would be a good place to stop. I had fun with this chapter though! Please review, because I really need to know that you guys like it. Otherwise, I won't have any motivation to write more! Then I'll just stop writing it and that won't be fun. So review! Right now! Do it! Love you all, see ya next chapter!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Woo! This chapter was twenty pages long! I remember when writing seven pages was a lot for me! Not anymore. Anyway, I just wanted to apologize for the long waits. I imagine each chapter will either come out once a week, or every other week. It really just depends on my schedule and how much homework I have. College is fun guys, lol. Anyways, get to reading!**

 **Disclaimer: I still no own.**

 **Chapter Four:**

It was probably another twenty or so minutes before I got a call from Arcee, asking me to open up the Groundbridge. I opened it to the same place they had gone through earlier and watched as the Autobots ran in, carrying the humans who'd been with them. I grinned when I saw that all four of the humans were there and accounted for.

"So… how was the Decepticon warship?" I asked Jack when Arcee sat him next to me. Jack gave me a look, clearly unhappy with whatever had transpired on the other side. "What? What did I miss?" I asked with a frown.

"They're lucky to be alive. Bulkhead, you shouldn't've let them go with you." Arcee snapped at him. Cliffjumper was laying Fowler on a cot, and I quickly ran over to help.

"Aw Arcee, nobody got hurt. No need to live in the past." Cliffjumper tried defending him, but I saw the troubled look on his face. Cliff knew the dangers the Decepticons posed, they all did. But Cliff had literally just come back from the dead, so I can only imagine what was running through his head at that moment.

"There is a need when it involves endangering children, Cliff. What would Optimus say if he knew about what had happened?" Arcee rounded on him, her hands on her hips. Cliff rose his hands up in surrender, but was saved from answering when Optimus himself called for a Groundbridge.

We turned to face the portal, Arcee activating it to allow the leader and medic of the Autobots in. Miko and Raf moved to stand beside Raf and I, while Bee, Cliff, and Bulkhead stood beside Arcee. Not even a second later, they came through the portal. I was slightly shocked by their battered appearances. Something more than recon had certainly happened to them.

"What happened to you guys?" I asked wide eyed. It was clearly something bad, given the grim looks in their optics.

"We engaged an army of undead Cybertronian warriors." Ratchet explained. Miko's jaw dropped and I face palmed, knowing she was about to say something stupid. "Zombies! They fought zombies and I missed it?" She exclaimed, proving my point.

"Bulkhead, you exercised extremely poor judgement in allowing the humans to accompany you." Optimus scolded the green mech. Bulk hung in head in shame. I wondered how Optimus found out, and figured one of the bots must've explained the situation when I wasn't paying attention. Bulkhead quickly promised it wouldn't happen again.

"But it wasn't Bulkhead's fault!" Miko protest, much to Bulk's surprise. He tried to get her to shut up, but she ignored him. "And check it out! Recon!" Miko grinned proudly, showing Optimus her phone screen. Optimus looked at it curious and hummed.

"Ratchet, have a look. It could be of importance to Megatron." Optimus ordered softy. I gasped in surprise, having sworn they said Megatron wasn't here on Earth. "Wait, wait, wait! Megatron is back? As in, here, on Earth." I gulped.

Optimus nodded grimly. Ratchet was looking at Mikos phone with a frown. "I don't understand…" He trailed off confused.

Miko looked at the screen. "Oops! That's the can that tried to blow Raf away. At least that's what he looked like before Bulkhead rearranged his grill." Miko cheered, punching the air. I did not share in her enthusiasm.

I quickly went to Raf's side. "Are you okay?" I squealed, looking him over just in case. Raf just smiled sadly. "I'm fine, I swear. The bots wouldn't let anything happen to me." He assured me. I pulled him into a hug, happy he was fine.

"Miko! Raf was almost killed! This isn't a game! When are you going to get that into your thick skull?" Jack growled, unimpressed with her behavior. I had to admit, I felt the same way.

"Umm, we were all almost killed, Jack. You, me, and Raf! Even them!" She bit back, pointing towards our Autobot friends. "Not to mention we almost lost Jessica when she decided to follow the Autobots the other day. Nobody's yelled at her for that."

"Hey, I did get in trouble with the boss bot. But you must have forgot the part where I mentioned I was an adult."

"Exactly." Jack scowled. "If this is just an average day with the Autobots, then I don't want to be a part of it, not anymore."

I didn't like that. Jack was my first friend here in Jasper, Nevada and I didn't want to lose him. But it was ultimately his choice. I looked at the ground sadly, wishing I knew what to say to convince him to stay here with us. Something told me I'd need the sense of normalcy soon enough. Especially with the voice that keeps talking to me.

"Jack, putting you in harm's way was never our intent. However, it is no longer the safety of you for that is at risk, but the safety of all human kind. We will respect your decision if you wish to leave." Optimus assured him, though I noted the small glimpse of sadness. He had come to care for Jack, despite their very short time together.

The Groundbridge opened suddenly, and we all looked over. Ratchet was the one who had opened. "No point in long goodbyes. Here's the door." He stated, almost coldly. I frowned, feeling slightly betrayed by Ratchets dismissal. I knew he didn't care too much about us, but to basically push us out the door… that hurt.

"Come on, Raf." Jack gestured, in hopes that the boy would follow his example. Both Raf and Miko were steadfast in staying. He turned to me, his eyes begging me to follow him. I shook my head though. I knew I needed to stay with the Autobots, they were the only ones who could help me now. Jack looked down sadly, before turning to Arcee, determination in his eyes. "I know, you don't exist."

"Don't make me hunt you down." Arcee said, her tone was sad. Jack nodded before turning away from us and walking through the Groundbridge, disappearing from view. Ratchet shut off the portal and we all stood there in silence for a moment.

Arcee turned around then and transformed. She sped out of the base. I looked up at Optimus, who had a sad look in his optics. "Arcee has gone out to patrol." Was all he said.

Miko frowned, and looked at me. "We should go talk to him."

I nodded in agreement. I didn't know what we would say, or how we could convince him to return, but I knew we had to try. If anything, I knew it would make Arcee happy if he returned. Whether or not she would admit to it was another thing.

"Cliff, you can take us to see Jack?" I asked my guardian. However, Cliff never had a chance to answer before Ratchet whipped his head around to face me and glared. "You're not going anywhere. We still need to figure out why you are filled with Allspark energy." He snapped.

I reeled back in surprise, having forgotten about that. I bit my lip nervously while Miko and Raf looked at me curiously. "What's an Allspark?" Raf asked curiously. Bulkhead and Bee both had expressions that clearly expressed shock. "The Allspark is what gives us life. It's not even possible for it to be on Earth." Bulkhead shook his head.

"Look, I don't know how or why I have Allspark energy in me." I huffed. Ratchet scanned me again, much to my displeasure. "I didn't do anything bad, you can't keep me here."

"It is not our intention to keep you here. However, if we can detect the Allspark energy within you, so can the Decepticons. They will come after you for its power." Optimus informed me gravely. I looked at my hands, slightly in a daze, realizing that what he said was true. I had powers that would be beneficial to the Cons. I didn't know why or how I got them, but I did. That meant I was in danger.

"What exactly am I supposed to do? I'm about to start college, I have a family. I never wanted any part of this Allspark or whatever." I sighed.

"Optimus, the power within her is really weak. I don't even know if she could really do anything with it. While it's changed some of her biological features, I don't think she'll have the true powers of the Allspark." Ratchet reported. "In fact, I highly doubt the signature is strong enough for the Decepticons to pick up unless they scan her themselves. I don't see any reason as to why they would do that. She should be safe. I would, however, advise that she has no contact with the Decepticons."

"That is good to hear."

At least I wouldn't be confined to the base. I couldn't imagine what I'd do if they deemed it too dangerous for me to be out in public, and keep me at the base. My parents would worry about me, and I really wanted to finish school. No, I couldn't stay here infinitely. "Wait…" I said when the rest of what he had said finally processed in my mind. "What do you mean it changed me biologically?"

Ratchet looked over his computer. "I'm showing that you have an increased immune system, and a phenomenal healing ability. You should also be stronger, and faster, than the average human." Ratchet continued to study his scan of me. "It's incredible. You have a strange combination of energon and blood in your body."

"Wait. Isn't energon your life blood and, essentially, your food… or drink, you guys drink it right? I thought that stuff was poisonous to organic life" I asked. I remembered reading a little bit on energon from the datapad Ratchet had me study.

Ratchet nodded. "Usually it would be. However, the Allspark energy somehow altered the energon in a way that it corresponds with your blood. I've never seen anything like it. How in the world did you manage to come a crossed Allspark energy in the first place?" He asked, but the question was more rhetoric. He looked away from me again and studied the computer again.

I thought about the dream I had the other night, the one from when I had found that strange shard in the blue lake. Sometimes I wasn't sure if it was a memory or a dream, I never really had the chance to ask Kyle before we separated. However, I knew it was after that that I had started having fits. Perhaps the two were connected in some way. It would explain a lot of things.

I looked away from Ratchet and noticed that the other two humans and their guardians were gone. I was so into my conversation with Ratchet, that I hadn't realized they left. Optimus stood to the side, watching Ratchet as he typed something in the computer. My guardian was looking at me as if I were a puzzle he was determined to figure out. I shrugged at the question he seemed to have in his optics. I really didn't know what to think about all this.

Before Ratchet could say another word, there was a beep from his computer. "It can't be Optimus! These are engineering specs for a space-time vortex generator." Ratchet gasped. I noticed that what he was talking about the notes Miko had brought in.

"Megatron is building a Space Bridge." Optimus frowned. Ratchet nodded, that added that he could've already have built it.

"The sooner he leaves, the better." Cliffjumper snorted. However, I was thinking about it in a more logically sense. "Wait, I'm assuming a space bridge works in two directions right? Like the Groundbridge does?" I asked, and the grave looks I received was answer enough.

"Megatron may not be using it to leave Earth. But to bring through his conquering army." Optimus revealed, darkly. I was again felt a shiver run up my spine. There was only six Autobots, something told me they might have a hard time against an army.

"The main event Megatron referred to." Ratchet whispered, his optics darkening. "But the only place Megatron could possibly recruit that many fallen warriors…"

"Precisely. Cybertron."

Those final words felt heavy in the air. Something told me a whole bunch of shit was about to go down.

It took a little convincing, but I finally got Ratchet to allow me to return home for the night. I knew he was worried about the Allspark energy I apparently held, but I had hope that the Decepticons wouldn't figure it out. After all, the bots hadn't until I was injured, and I supposedly had the energy for a long time.

Cliff was mostly quiet on the return trip. However, I knew he was just thinking about everything that had just been revealed. It was a lot to think about.

"So, the Allspark huh?" Cliff finally said after a good ten minutes of silence. I chuckled.

"Guess that explains how I was able to bring you back. I wonder though, if the power is so weak, how come I was able to do something like that? I mean, I imagine it takes a lot of power to bring someone's spark back from… what's it called? The Well of Sparks, right?" I asked.

"Yes, that's what we call it." Cliff confirmed before humming curiously. "I was wondering the same thing. At first I thought that perhaps bringing me back drained you. However, if that was the case, why hadn't we sensed the power beforehand? More importantly, why didn't they sense it when you came to the base the first time?"

"This is just all so much. It's only been a weekend, and yet so much has happened. It feels like it's been a life time!" I exclaimed.

Cliff chuckled. "That's what happens when you join up with us."

"I just have so many questions, Cliff. I guess the biggest one would be, why me? I'm not anything special. I'm just a regular girl, who's way in over her head. If my parents even thought something was happening, they'd have me committed again." I sighed. It was true though. If I wasn't careful, I knew my parents wouldn't hesitate to take me back to a mental facility. They always worried about me.

"Committed?" Cliff asked curiously.  
"It's sort of a long story. I don't really like talking about it." I replied, my voice dark. Cliff quickly caught onto that, and didn't ask any more questions. The ride was once again silent and remained so until we pulled up to my house.

"Well, umm, I start classes tomorrow so… yeah. I should be done about twelve. I only have two on Mondays." I told my guardian.

"I will follow you to school, unseen of course. I don't want to take any chance with the Decepticons. How will you get to and from school?" Cliff asked. I told him that my dad would be taking me, but then he had classes all day so it was expected that I would either walk, take the bus, or wait for him to get out at five. "No need for any of those, I will be around. Here, take these."

The glove box opened up, revealing what looked like an ear plug. It was small, and I knew that it wouldn't be detectable by human eye. "It's has a direct link to my comm systems, so you'll be able to talk to me that way. It's already switched on. Just talk, and I'll hear you."

"So does that mean you'll be listening to all my conversations?" I asked with a raised brow. However, my tone was joking and he laughed.

"I will try not to listen in to your conversations. No promises though." He joked back. I took the comm link and put it in my right ear. _"Does it work?"_ He tested and I chuckled and nodded, telling him I hear him loud and clear.

After that, I got out of the car, and waved to my friend as I jogged to my front door. I entered my home and discovered my parents weren't home. So I decided to just go up to my room. I threw my things onto my bed and then went out to my balcony. Cliff was gone, but I knew he wasn't far. Climbing onto the railings carefully, I lifted myself up to get onto my balcony.

The sun was just beginning to set, but I couldn't help wondering what would happen tomorrow. So much had changed in just a short amount of time. I had so many questions about what was happening to me and what would happen in the future. Something told me I was in for a wild ride. But I was ready for it.

I was ready for anything.

 _Jessica was once again standing in front of the abnormally blue lake. Only this time, she wasn't a young child, but her actual age of twenty-one. This wasn't a dream; she was in a vision once more. So, with that in mind, she walked towards the lake, where a tall, metal figure stood._

 _First Aid looked up when she approached. He remembered the femme from a solar cycle ago. She went over to him and sat down beside him, gazing forward._

" _Have you figured out if this is real or not?" First Aid asked after a breem of silence. Jessica hummed to herself and looked up at the Cybertronian. He was observing her curiously, waiting patiently for an answer from her._

 _She took a deep breath before answering. "I think it is. I don't know how, or why, but something tells me this is real." She paused, and once again, she looked towards the lake. "So many strange things have been happening lately. Sometimes, I'm not sure what is real, or what is just me imagine. But this, this feels real."_

 _First Aid nodded. "I feel the same way. Before, the world was nothing but dark and empty. Then I was suddenly here, in this strange place and you appeared. Deep in my spark, I know this is true. The only question now is, why? Why do we share this vision?"_

" _Well, I think it has something to do with the Allspark." She replied. He perked up at the mention of such a treasured artifact. "You see, back in my, um… world, or whatever, I am filled with Allspark energy. It's very weak, but Ratchet says it's given me incredible abilities."_

" _Ratchet?" First Aid grinned at the sound of his mentor's name. "He is a dear friend of mine. He survived then?" Jessica nodded with a gentle smile. "That is wonderful. Hmm, the Allspark, you said? How did such a thing come to be? The Allspark had been launched to the stars. Very few people know of its location."_

" _I think it's more complicated than that. However, I think it all started here." She replied. They both looked around the lake and surrounding woods. "When I was about eight years old, my friend and I came to this lake. There I touched something alien. I think that was the Allspark, or at least part of it. Since then, I've had visions, and more recently discovered powers."_

" _Incredible." First Aid grinned, before it melted into a frown. "However, if that is the case, why are you here? What does the Allspark have to do with me?"_

" _Perhaps you're important? Maybe you're to teach me something. I'm really not sure. The voice doesn't tell me much." She replied with a shrug. First Aid mimicked the word voice curiously, to which Jessica shrugged helplessly. "I think it might be the Allspark talking to me, but I don't know. All it said was that it was my creator."_

" _That is odd. If I didn't know any better, I would say that was Primus. He is the creator of all." First Aid informed her._

" _Primus? The others never mentioned him. Then again, I've only known them two days."_

" _As them about him. Ratchet can explain everything." First Aid advised. Jessica opened her mouth to reply, but did not have the chance to. Everything began to go black once more, and First Aid disappeared from view. She knew she was waking up, and hoped that she could somehow get answers the following morning._

I was woken up early the next morning to the sound of my dad banging on my door. I groaned and pushed myself up. "Jessica if you don't get ready in the next ten minutes, you're gonna walk to school." He warned through the door.

I huffed, but yelled my assurance back and got out of bed. I quickly changed into my outfit for the door. Then I went into the bathroom and brushed my hair and teeth. Then I went back into my bedroom and gathered my backpack, which had been packed the day before.

My dad was waiting by the door for me when I rushed down the stairs. He gave me a hard look, clearly annoyed. "Sorry, dad. I slept through my alarm." I apologized, then frowned realizing I had left my phone in my room. I didn't say anything though, knowing my dad would get upset. I'll just make Cliff bring me by my house later.

I followed my dad out to the car and then we were off to Jasper University. When we arrived, my dad and I separated to go to our classes.

" _Good luck today."_ Cliff spoke in my ear when I finally settled in my first class room. I chuckled quietly and whispered my thanks to him. After that, I was lost in the world of college. The hours passed by quickly and before I knew it, it was time to go.

I walked into an area that wasn't as populated with students. "Hey Cliff, you there?" I asked the air. Though really, I was talking to the comm in my ear. Cliff gave me the affirmative and I told him I was ready to be picked up. He told me where to meet him and I headed off in the direction.

A minute later, I saw my guardian. I smiled and hurried over to him. When I sank into the front seat, I sighed in exasperation. "So glad this day is over with. I forgot how boring the first day of classes. Nothing but learning rules and what we'll be doing this semester. I almost fell asleep in both of my classes." I grumbled.

Cliff laughed. "Sounds like you had a fun day." He joked and I shot the dashboard an unamused glare. I lightly kicked the car. "Ow! Was that necessary." He grumped, but I could still hear the amusement in his tone.

"Yes. Yes, it was. Now, do you mind taking me by my house real fast? I left my phone at home this morning." I asked him sweetly. Cliff snorted, which sounded really weird coming from a radio. I didn't even know they could snort. Must be a habit they picked up from humans. "Sure thing kid." He said, and I could hear the smirk in his tone.

"Don't make me kick you again." I warned. He laughed, and I couldn't help but giggle with him. My guardian was such an asshole.

We pulled up in front of my house and I quickly ran inside. My mom was in the kitchen, humming to herself as she did the dishes from breakfast this morning. My stomach grumbled, reminding me that I hadn't ate that day yet. I made a mental note to have Cliff stop by K.O. before running up the stairs. My phone was on my bed.

I grabbed it and ran back down the stairs. I yelled into the kitchen to tell my mom I would be out late. She didn't care that much, though.

I went back outside and ran right for Cliff. As soon as I settled back in my seat, I turned my phone on to see if I had any messages. The only one there was from Miko. _"Tried 2 tlk 2 Jack, no luck. :/ Mayb u shuld try?"_

I winced slightly at the horrible grammar and spelling use. Miko was still really young so it made sense she would text like that. I quickly texted back and reply, telling her I would attempt, but no promises. Then I directed Cliff to K.O. I knew he'd be working today. They didn't have school today, for some reason or another. Unfortunately, I did. Lucky me.

When we arrived at K.O., I had Cliff go through drive thru. Jacks voices came over the speaker, his tone was bored as he asked me what I wanted to eat. "I'll take a number three meal, with a large coke. Oh, and I really want my newest friend to come back to base with me. It won't be the same without him." I said, careful not to say too much in case there were other workers.

" _Jess?"_ He asked surprised. I giggled, and had Cliff pull around to the window. Jack looked suspicious. "If you're gonna try to get me to come back, don't bother. Miko already tried this morning." He tried to warn me.

I chuckled and rolled my eyes. "Oh Jack, do I look like Miko? No. Well then, just listen to me. You were the first friend I made here in this barren wasteland of a city. This won't be the same without you." I spoke gently.

Jack huffed a sigh and looked away. "I don't want to be a part of all that danger. It's just me and my mom, I don't want to risk dying and leaving her all alone."

"The bots will take care of us. I have faith in their ability to protect us. But Jack, being a part of their world is a once in a lifetime deal. We have a chance to do something more with our lives. Maybe we'll even save the world. I believe with all my heart that the four of us were meant for something more. And that something is with the Autobots." I attempted to persuade him genuinely. I really felt like it wasn't a coincidence that we found them. We were meant to be a part of their world.

Jack hesitated a minute more. Then he disappeared to grab my food.

"Think he'll listen to you?" Cliff asked me, sounding slightly impressed. I shrugged my shoulders. "Maybe, maybe not. Either way, we can't give up hope."

Looking behind me, I saw a blue motorcycle pulling up. I grinned at the sight. "There might just be hope yet." I chuckled, knowing almost immediately it was Arcee. Jack reappeared with my food and I paid for it. "Think about what I said Jack. Oh, and there's someone else here to talk to you. Looks like Miko and I aren't the only ones who want you back. See you soon." I grinned before Cliff took off.

I had every faith that it would work out now. Arcee would convince Jack to come back with her and we would all be whole once more. Until then, though, I had a burger and fries to eat. Which I gladly did as soon as I could.

Five minutes later, I looked behind me and saw Arcee and Jack. I grinned victoriously. It all worked out after all.

We pulled into the silo. Everyone had already beaten us. Miko ran over to me when she saw me get out of Cliff. "You did it!" She squealed, giving me a high five. Jack climbed off of Arcee and grinned sheepishly at all of us. "I had some help." I winked at my younger friend.

"Hey everyone, I'm back." Jack said. Arcee and Cliffjumper transformed while everyone welcomed him back. The atmosphere was a happy one for like fifteen seconds, before Optimus' grave voice resonated around the silo. "Autobots, prepare for departure."

"Where are you guys going?" I asked, looking up at my guardian. He grinned down at me, while Miko informed me they were going to the final frontier. "Space? I thought you didn't have a way there?" Jack asked, something that was news to me. When had they told them that?

"They don't… really…" Raf trailed off, looking upset.

I bit my lip and retuned my gaze to my guardian. "Be safe up there, Cliff. I didn't… I mean… um, you weren't brought back from the dead to just die again. I'll be super pissed if I lose you." I warned him, though I nearly tripped up and spilled my secret. I felt someone staring and me, and looked over to see Ratchet's suspicious glare. I quickly looked away and back to Cliff.

"No worries, I can handle a trip to space." He winked. Winking was weird with Cybertronians. They basically just shut off one optic and then immediately turned it back on. I smiled sadly and nodded. "Good." I whispered.

The others were saying goodbye to their guardians, but I wasn't paying attention until Miko shouted out, "I'm so jealous!"

"Don't even think about following me." Bulkhead warned her seriously. Miko looked saddened, but I knew she wouldn't try. There was no way we could survive space, and she knew that. But still, I knew she wanted to be with her guardian/ friends as much as I wanted to be with mine.

"Optimus, if you leave me on a planet teeming with humans, I will never forgive you." Ratchet cautioned the Autobot leader.

Optimus simply nodded, but I could see the slight amusement in his optics. "Until we meet again, old friend." Optimus said, his battle mask sliding into place. "Autobots, transform and roll out!" He ordered and they did as he said. We watched them until the disappeared on the other side of the Groundbridge. I sent a silent prayer, hoping they'd be okay.

"Do you think they made it?" Raf asked, concerned. I wrapped a comforting arm around his shoulder, but did not reply. I didn't want to give him any false hope, not until I heard for certain that they made it through okay.

Ratchet began typing on his computer, when a small screen with Optimus' face appeared. There was Cybertronian writing on it. I sighed in relief, somehow knowing that meant they were okay. Finally, one of them spoke, confirming they made it.

" _It appears the Decepticons have sustained serious damage to their interstellar navigational system."_ Optimus spoke through the computer. Somehow I knew that meant that the Decepticons had no way to lock onto Cybertrons location.

" _Huh, that's my handiwork."_ Bulkhead revealed proudly. I silently cheered for the larger mech. _"Great job Bulkhead, without the dish, Megatron will be unable to aim the space bridge at Cybertron."_ Optimus praised him.

"Don't the Decepticons know where their own planet is?" Raf asked. I looked down at my friend and nodded. "I'm sure they do, but Cybertron is what? Many lightyears away?" I answered, and directed the question at Ratchet. He seemed slightly surprised at my knowledge, and to be honest I was too, and nodded.

"That is correct. Their aim must be astronomically precise in order to reach their target." He finished explaining.

" _If Megatron went to the trouble of rendezvousing with his space ship, he must have an alternative system. A remote one."_ Optimus disclosed. I tried to think of an area that would have that advanced technology on Earth, but I honestly came up blank. Humans just weren't that advanced.

"From what I know of Earth's technology I doubt there would exist a single radio telescope dish on this planet to pinpoint Cybertron." Ratchet frowned. Raf pulled out his laptop and began typing. Then he suggested the giant size array in Texas, which happened to be a bunch of linked radio telescope dishes. That would probably work. "Zip-bup-bup-bup! This isn't child's play!" Ratchet scolded unimpressed.

" _Good thinking, Raf."_ Optimus chimed in, and I had to admit the look on Ratchet's face was hilarious. _"Ratchet, have Agent Fowler alert the array staff to the security hazard."_

Everyone looked over to where Fowler was. He was still laying on a cot. He sat up, eyes mostly shut. "YOU, SOLDIER, you're out of uniform! PUT ON SOME PANTS!" He exclaimed before passing out once more.

"I don't think that's gonna work. He still kind of out of it, Optimus." I said, shaking my head. Miko and I exchanged looks, both of us slightly weirded out. I jumped though when Raf suddenly slammed his fist down on the table. "I can't get past the array firewalls! They're too thick." He growled in frustration.

"You actually think you can keep the Decepticons out?" Ratchet asked, unconvinced. Raf frowned slightly. "Maybe. If I can get in." He answered.

"What if we get you all the way in, like, in the building? Would that help?" I suggested. Raf's face split into a grin at the suggestion. "I could log into the internal network on the other side of the firewall!" He exclaimed, excited.

" _The risk is too great. The Decepticons will be there, perhaps even on site."_ Optimus rejected.

I was about to speak up again, but Jack beat me to it. "Optimus, with all due respect, you said it yourself, this is bigger than the safety of four humans." He spoke boldly. I nodded in agreement. "The whole population of Earth is at risk. This is our home, Optimus. If we could do something to save it, then we'll do it. You would've done the same thing back on Cybertron."

Miko added, "Yeah! If we let the cons win, we're fragged, along with everyone else on our planet."

Optimus seemed to think about what we were saying before asking Raf what he wanted to do. All four of us exchanged looks, silently conversing. I knew it was what we all wanted. "I want to give it a shot." He finally replied.

Ratchet typed in the coordinates before activating the space bridge. "Be careful." He said, and I blinked in surprise when I realized he was mostly directing it at me. He was staring into my eyes, pleading with me to do as he said. I nodded, promising to do my best. "There could possibly be many securities on base."

"We'll be fine." I promised, and the others nodded in agreement. Then the four of us entered the Groundbridge, knowing there was a chance it could be our last time.

 **I was going to write more, but honestly, this seemed like a good place to stop. Next chapter will finish up the episode, and I imagine I'll add more fun stuff. This was a pretty fun chapter to write, I just love First Aid. His purpose will be revealed later on, so hold on tight, my friends. And thank you to everyone who reviewed last chapter! I don't usually get a lot, but the ones I do make me smile! Until next time, my friends!**


	5. Chapter 5

**What's this? Two chapters in one week? And they're only two days apart? What sort of sorcery is this?**

 **Lol, let's just say, I was excited to write this. It wraps up the five-part beginning episodes. After this we move on to regular episodes! Yay! Enjoy the chapter!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't think that in the past two days I managed to gain the rights to the Transformers franchise. So, nope! I don't own this! Yay!**

 **Chapter Five:**

 _Previously:_

" _Optimus, with all due respect, you said it yourself, this is bigger than the safety of four humans." He spoke boldly. I nodded in agreement. "The whole population of Earth is at risk. This is our home, Optimus. If we could do something to save it, then we'll do it. You would've done the same thing back on Cybertron."_

 _Miko added, "Yeah! If we let the cons win, we're fragged, along with everyone else on our planet."_

 _Optimus seemed to think about what we were saying before asking Raf what he wanted to do. All four of us exchanged looks, silently conversing. I knew it was what we all wanted. "I want to give it a shot." He finally replied._

 _Ratchet typed in the coordinates before activating the space bridge. "Be careful." He said, and I blinked in surprise when I realized he was mostly directing it at me. He was staring into my eyes, pleading with me to do as he said. I nodded, promising to do my best. "There could possibly be many securities on base."_

" _We'll be fine." I promised, and the others nodded in agreement. Then the four of us entered the Groundbridge, knowing there was a chance it could be our last time._

When Miko, Jack, Raf and I stepped into the other side of the Groundbridge, I couldn't help but laugh at my friends. All three of them were clutching their stomachs, their faces pale. It didn't bother me in the slightest. I guess I just have a stronger stomach, most likely because of the Allspark.

"That'll take some getting used to." Jack groaned, and the other two agreed with him. I just shook my head in amusement.

"You guys wait here, I'm gonna scout ahead and see if there's any security or Cons ahead." I ordered them. They all nodded and I silently went forward. I opened the door, peeking in. Seeing no one, and no Cons, I gestured them forward.

We walked cautiously down the hallways looking for the computer room. I was on high alert, praying that no one was near. The final door we came to was the one we needed. After we all piled into the room, Raf began typing on the computer. I watched him curiously, though unable to keep up with what he was doing. I was not a tech genius.

Miko walked back to the door and poked her head out. She brought it back in and shut the door. "Security sure is lax in this place." She commented. I bit my lip nervously. "I don't think we should jinx it." I warned her. She shrugged.

"I'm in." Raf informed us. He didn't look away from his screen though, instead he continued typing. "And so are the Decepticons." He gulped. We gathered around the screen.

"What?" Jack whispered, terrified. "How can you tell?"

"Schematics, with the same alien math's we saw on the ship." He replied. I recognized the Cybertronian symbols, mostly from dreams I've had. "But this time I can download it." Raf smiled slightly. He stuck a memory stick into the computer.

"It's got to be the spacebridge." Miko rationalized.

"The Decepticons are syncing it to their dishes, but I can sync to them." Raf explained. Jack laid a hand on his chair and asked Raf if they would know. "Even if the Decepticons see that I'm in the system, they will have no idea I'm in the house." He replied.

I grinned to myself. Tricking the cons, huh? Imagine the look on their faceplates if they knew three teenagers and a young adult were sitting here, hacking into their systems. I'd pay to see that. From behind a glass, of course. Cons are scary. The glass would need to be a two-way mirror. With something to jam their systems so they couldn't sense me. And now I'm getting way too into this.

"They're locking onto Cybertron, but not for long." Raf grinned. There was a live video feed of the satellites on the screen of Raf's computer. We watched as they moved away from the position the Cons had had it. Jack asked Raf how he had done that, his voice awed. "Years of practice." Raf replied proudly.

I chuckled, and looked up. That was when I noticed the camera for the first time. "Hey Raf, you don't think anyone is watching us. Do you?" I asked, pointing it out. The others looked at it, and became slightly uneased.

"Don't worry Jess, I'm sure there's no one watching us at this moment." Miko tried to assure me. It didn't help. Instead, my dread increased. "The dishes are heading back to Cybertron; I'll undo that again." Raf muttered as he typed away on the computer.

Jack then asked a question that I had been wondering the entire time. "What if the Cons realize they're being punked?"

"It's only virtual combat, you know, like online gaming." Raf explained. I frowned, still feeling like something wasn't right. "Then why do I feel like something is about to happen?" I commented. My heart was pounding in anticipation.

"Come on Jack, Jess, what are the Cons gonna do? They're probably like, a thousand miles away!" Miko exclaimed. I couldn't help but look behind me, the feeling of unease having groan to strong. That was when I saw the tentacles. "Scrap." I gasped.

The tentacles flung me, Jack and Miko into a wall. We landed in a heap, groaning at the sudden pain. Raf jumped up when the tentacle began destroying his computer. Miko grabbed an axe and rushed the offending menace, but it simply swatted her away and took the axe from her.

"You handed it an axe!" Jack and I shouted simultaneously, while Raf gulped. "Not good."

The tentacle swung threatenly at us. I pulled the other three behind me and rushed them out of the room. I looked up and saw a Decepticon on the roof. It was purple and had a sort of monitor for a face. Miko took a picture of it, catching its attention. It looked over the four of us, it's gaze on me the longest. I felt a weird tingle go through me and gasped when I realized what it had done. It had scanned me, which means it probably knew I had Allspark energy in me.

It then transformed into what looked like a drone, and flew away. "Why is he leaving?" Miko asked, but I just shrugged. I couldn't understand why it had gone.

Raf walked over to this thick wire, which the Con had chopped through with the axe. He glared in frustration. "It cut the hardline." He replied, voice grim. "The dishes are locked onto Cybertron." He looked at the ground, sadly. "For good."

Our first mission, and we blew it. Great. That was a great self-esteem boost. I sighed and called Ratchet for a Groundbridge. The familiar portal opened and we went through it. Ratchet was waiting expectantly om the other side, but could tell we didn't succeed by our dejected faces.

"Are you alright?" He asked us, though his gaze was directed at me. I looked into his strikingly blue optics. They were the prettiest blue I had ever seen, and it was pretty easy for me to get lost in them. However, now was not the time for me to act all weird.

"We failed." I exhaled. Ratchet's gaze softened. "It's alright. We'll find another way. Not every mission is a success." He assured me and I was grateful. I smiled softly back at him, before joining my friends. They were seated on the stairs.

Miko was bouncing up and down on the balls of her feet, clearly anxious. I understood, feeling the same way. I wanted Cliff to be back, safe and sound. We might've only been friends a couple days, but he already meant a lot to me. They all did. "Let's play a game." Miko finally said, fed up with the silence.

"What kind of game?" I asked, a little suspicious. Miko grinned, and that only raised even more red flags. "Truth or dare?" She replied/ asked.

"Is that really a good game to play here, Miko?" Jack asked, not all that enthused by the idea. I chuckled, but I couldn't help but agree with him. Miko pouted. "Come on guys, I want to get to know you more! We've been friends for like, what, two days? We barely know anything about each other!"

"Well, why don't we play something like twenty questions. That way we can get to know each other, without doing dares that might make Ratchet blow a gasket." I suggested, and my attention once again shifted to the white and red mech.

"Fine, I guess that's okay." Miko agreed, but I could tell she wasn't as happy. That frown quickly turned upside down when we started the game. Miko tended to ask the more personal, and embarrassing question, while the rest of us genuinely tried to get to know one another. It was frustrating and hilarious at the same time. Ratchet was half paying attention to us, while also listening to the other bots as they fought in space.

"What was your old home town like?" Raf asked me. It was the fifteenth question asked, but it was only directed at me. About twenty or so minutes had passed since we started the game. Our worry for our bots was in the back of our minds while we played.

I frowned at the question, immediately growing uncomfortable. My old life wasn't something I liked to think about. My old town was full of horrible memories, from being committed, to becoming the town freak. After I had been released, no one wanted anything to do with me. It was another reason why we moved to Jasper. The others were watching me expectantly, and I even noticed that Ratchet had even perked up.

"I don't really like talking about it too much. My memories of that place aren't very good. We moved here for a reason and I'm glad for it." I replied, refusing to go any further.

Everyone looked at me concerned, and I knew they wanted more information. However, I just wasn't comfortable sharing more than that with them. It was hard enough telling them what I did. My past was better left unsaid.

"Well, if you ever want to talk about it, we're here for you." Jack assured me. I smiled tightly at my friend and nodded. "Thanks. But I think some things are better left unsaid."

They dropped it after that. We continued the game and I had to admit, it was a lot of fun. I discovered that we all had a lot in common, even more than I originally thought. Miko and I seemed to have the same taste in movies- though, unlike Miko, I didn't care much for gory horror movies. Jack and I both loved reading, while Raf and I enjoyed the same music. All in all, it was a pretty educational day.

We were distracted from the game when Ratchet's computer began to beep. All of us walked over to Ratchet, who was typing away at the computer. Even Fowler joined us, having finally awoken. "Optimus, I'm registering a rapidly expanding mass in their space bridge vortex! One with a particular energy signal." Ratchet informed the Autobot leader. He was wearing a frown as he looked over the data.

" _Dark energon."_ Optimus informed him gravely. I gulped, remembering the effects of dark energon on Cliff. I could only imagine how he was feeling right now. I really wished I could be with him in that moment. _"Ratchet we must destroy the space bridge."_ Ratchet vented and looked down. _"There is enough live energon coursing through it to achieve detonation, but we lack firepower to ignite it."_

I felt bad for them in that moment. I knew the space bridge was the only way to get them home. This probably really hurt them. "If I knew how the space bridge was engineered, then I might find a technical way of accomplishing that feat." Ratchet informed him.

"Um, would schematics help?" Raf asked. He helped up the memory stick from earlier. Ratchet looked at it, before hesitantly turning back to the screen. I didn't like the look in his optics. It showed all the pain and despair that he'd been going through since the beginning of the war. It was no wonder he was so grumpy. Every time he got close to any sort of victory, the cons took it away. This war has ruined so many lives and I just couldn't imagine being in his place, in any of their places.

"Optimus, I must say, the space bridge is our only hope of ever returning to Cybertron. Are you certain its destruction is the only option?" Ratchet asked, his words dark. I wanted so bad for there to be another way.

" _I'm afraid so."_ Optimus replied desolately. My heart shattered for Ratchet in that moment. Ratchet looked down again and I knew he was trying to gather his strength to continue on. "Then by all means, let us light our darkest hour." Ratchet spoke, now determined, as he lifted his head up.

Raf walked over to the computer to help Ratchet set it up. I walked over as well, and reached out to lay a hand on Ratchets arm. He looked at me, but didn't say a word. He didn't need to. I understood what he was trying to say with his optics.

That's bad right?" Fowler stood beside me, and gestured to the computer with his thumb. These things are getting closer. "Well, that's Megatrons army of the undead, so I would say so." I answered. He frowned at the screen.

" _Ratchet, we're in position."_ Arcee spoke up.

"Arcee, pay close attention." Ratchet began to explain what she needed to do. I only have paid attention to what he was saying. For the most part though, I was lost in my thoughts. I completely ignored what he was saying until he told her to turn all the power against itself by reversing the currently.

" _Current reversed."_

"YES!" Fowler exclaimed, startling everyone. I looked at him strangely. "That's a good thing, right?" He asked. I rolled my eyes slightly and nodded.

"I'll ready the Groundbridge." Ratchet muttered. He walked over and activated it. "Optimus the Groundbridge is ready and waiting."

Everything was silent. We watched the portal expectantly, waiting for our guardians and friends to walk through. "Do you think they're…" Raf trailed off, unable to finish the sentence. I wrapped an arm around his shoulder and hugged him to my side.

"Five life signals, one very faint." Ratchet told us. He was looking on the panel on his arm. I bit my lip and watched expectantly. I prayed my guardian was okay. Cliff and I had so much stuff to do still, and I just brought him back from the dead. I needed him to be fine.

Optimus was the first one to walk through. I was relieved to see him. I knew Optimus was very important to them and the war. Following Optimus was Bulkhead. Miko cried out his name and run down the stairs to greet him. I followed after her, Jack and Raf right behind me.

Bumblebee was the third bot. Raf grinned and took off. "Bumblebee!" He practically squealed. It was really cute.

Finally, Cliff came in, supporting a limp Arcee. I was torn between excitement that my guardian was okay, and fear that Jacks was not. Jacks face fell, and the two of us quickly approached them. Ratchet also walked over. "We lost one this week, by the Allspark, don't let it be two." Ratchet whispered, his words heavy.

"Arcee?" Jack whispered questioningly. Arcee said nothing for a second, but finally her optics fluttered on weakly. "Jack, really? There are other motorcycles in the world." She joked softly. I chuckled, and allowed myself to tear myself away from my friend to greet my guardian. "But you're my first." I heard Jack.

"Well, partner, you're looking mighty proud of yourself." I giggled. Cliff kneeled down and grinned back at me. "Well, I did just help defeat an army of the undead, so I think I have a reason to be." He snickered, much to my amusement.

"Is that so? Well congrats." I winked, before putting on a more serious face. "Are you okay, really. I can't imagine it was easy facing them. Especially after what you went through."

"Well, it helped that we didn't actually engage them. But yeah, I'm fine. Believe or not, I'm pretty tough." He assured me, also serious. I smiled softly. "I know; I just worry about you. If there's one thing I've learned in our brief friendship, it's how reckless you can be."

"Ha-ha." He quipped back. I giggled again before turning back to Ratchet. He was looking at Optimus hopefully. "And Megatron?" He asked the leader.

"Not even he could've survived ground zero." Optimus assured us. I think we all took a breath of relief at that. I knew that there were other Decepticons out there who would cause just as much, if not more trouble. The war wasn't over. But finally getting rid of Megatron was certainly a huge victory.

"PRIME!" Fowler suddenly shouted, scaring me. I glared at him in annoyance. Was that really necessary? "I didn't get to thank you bots for the save." He spoke as he tidied up his uniform. "I owe you one." Fowler stepped into the elevator and turned to face us. As the doors closed, he said one last thing, "We all do."

I looked over at Miko, smiling brightly. It changed to a frown when I saw the look on her face. She looked upset about something and I wondered why. "So is this the part where you say goodbye and tell us we need to forget we ever saw you?" She asked, and I was surprise to see a few tears in her eyes. I felt the same way though. I really didn't want to say goodbye to my new friends.

Optimus shook his head. "We have all gained strong bonds with the four of you, how could we break that? You are welcome to stay as long as you desire." He replied. Miko cheered and I smiled in relief. Moving to Jasper had actually been a good idea.

For the rest of the day, we spent the time with the bots, chatting and getting to know them. It was incredible just how similar they were to humans. Our races really were a like; the only difference was our biology. They loved and lived just as we did. It made me wonder if one day our two species could coincide. I certainly hope so.

The hours passed quickly and soon enough it was time to head home. I said goodbye to all of my friends before climbing inside of Cliffs alt mode. The drive was relatively silent; neither of us had anything to say because we had been talking for the past several hours. But it was a comfortable silence, and I felt as if I was gonna fall asleep.

"Jess, can I ask you a question?" Cliff asked through the radio. I opened my eyes and looked curiously at the dash. I told him of course he could. "Why did you not want to talk about your home town?" He asked.

My heart clenched and I looked down at my lap. "I guess you heard us talking about that, huh?"

He didn't reply, but I knew the answer was yes. Cliff was my guardian and I knew I could trust him, but talking about my past was so hard. "It's a really long story." I finally muttered. I could already feel tears prickly in the corner of my eyes.

"I have time. You can tell me anything."

I hesitated for a minute more, before taking a deep breath. "Okay. I grew up in the small town of Crusted Butte, Colorado. It literally one of those everyone knows everyone kind of towns, the population was somewhere in the thousands. It's located at the base of a mountain. Growing up, I loved it so much. However, that all changed when I was about eight." I started and launched into the story of what happened with Kyle. He listened intently to my tale.

"My parents were so scared when the fits started. They told me I would go into this trance like state. My eyes apparently would glow bright blue and I'd begin speaking a weird gibberish language. I don't remember them, but I do remember seeing weird symbols in my mind.

"Here's the kicker, those symbols look a lot like Cybertronian symbols. I can't read them, but it looks almost exactly like that. Anyway, after about two weeks of having these fits at least once a day, and also waking up every night from nightmares that I don't remember, my parents decided to have me committed at this place called Midwestern Colorado Mental Center. They thought I had some sort of mental illness." I shuddered when I thought about that place. It was a cold, horrible memory.

"I was in there for most of my childhood. I got in at eight, and wasn't released until I was about seventeen. Nine years in that awful place. The only reason I got out is because I somehow learned to control my fits. I still have them, but I'm able to wait until I'm alone before truly allowing them to affect me.

"Anyway, after being gone for so long, I got a really bad reputation. The kids I would've grown up with thought I was a freak. They wanted nothing to do with me. So for the next four years, I was stuck in a town where people shunned me. I guess that's why my parents jumped at the opportunity to move here. They want to give me a better chance of having a real life, with actual friends." I finished. I was slightly out of breath from my story.

Cliff didn't say anything for a few seconds. I was slightly nervous to hear what he had to say. However, I trusted Cliff. He wouldn't just abandon me. "That sounds horrible…" He finally muttered with disgust. "Why would people treat you like you were some disease when you clearly needed help?"

I laughed sarcastically. "Because people are cruel, Cliff. Humans are flawed and dysfunctional. We don't trust what we don't understand, and we blow things way out of proportion. So many people are greedy, power hungry morons. It's so hard to find a decent human anymore. That's why I didn't trust Miko, Jack, and Raf with my story. I know deep down that they're not like that, but I can't help but not trust them. I've never had a good experience with people."

"I just can't fragging imagine it." Cliff whispered, sorrowfully.

"Oh Cliff, don't take it hard. It's true that I don't trust people, but one day I might be able to again. Something tells me I'll have a much better life here in Jasper. I already have the best guardian and friend. With you, the other bots, and Raf, Miko, and Jack, I know everything is gonna be okay." I assured my guardian.

I knew I hadn't entirely convinced him. "Just remember that you always have me, okay. I know that humans who feel alone tend to do horrible things. I don't want anything to happen to you." Cliff told me, my heart melted.

I smiled at the dash softly. "Don't worry Cliff, I'm not going anywhere. These past few days have been the happiest of my life and something tells me it's only going to get better from here."

I truly believed that too. Everything would work out in the end. It just had to.

 _ **Nemesis: Undisclosed location**_

Starscream was standing in the Nemesis computer room, a dark and sinister smile on his face. Megatron was finally gone and he would now rule over the Decepticon army. It was something he had always dreamed about and know it had come true.

Behind him, Soundwave was typing away at a computer. Soundwave didn't know what he was up to, but it didn't care all that much. He would find out soon enough, no doubt.

He looked out the window, into the dark sky. His wings flinched, making him aware of his need to fly. However, now wasn't the time for such pleasure. So much needed to be done and it was only a matter of time before he ruled over the world.

The computer beeped, drawing his attention to Soundwave. On the screen, he saw the image of a human girl with long dark red hair and green optics, err eyes. Starscream frowned, he did not understand why Soundwave put the image of an insect on the screen. "What is this, Soundwave? I don't understand why you're showing me this squishy." He snapped.

Soundwave stared blankly at him. He gestured to the screen once more. Starscream sighed in frustration. "I don't see what this has to do with any- "He grumbled before finally seeing what Soundwave was trying to show him. He looked at the quiet mech in surprise. "This insect has Allspark energy within her?" He asked in disbelief.

Soundwave nodded.

"Interesting." Starscream grinned. He could use this. "Keep an eye on her Soundwave. As soon as she is alone, see to it that she is captured. I don't know why a human would possess power as strong as the Allspark, but I know it would give us a great advantage."

Soundwave nodded and returned to the computer. Starscream grinned menacingly at the picture. The name on the database said Jessica. Starscream began chuckling darkly.

"Jessica, soon you will be in my possession."

 **Alright! So this chapter is really short compared to the others. But I couldn't think of anything else to add. Next chapter should be back in the five thousand though! Hopefully you enjoyed this chapter just as much as the last four! I certainly enjoyed writing it!**

 **The town I mentioned does actually exist. I'd like to add that I've never been there before. I just researched it a little. If there's anyone from or around there, know that I mean no disrespect. In fact, it looks like the kind of town I'd love to live in!**

 **Anyways, remember to review, my loyal followers! I love you all!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hello peoples. It's been some time huh? I haven't really been writing anything lately and honestly it's been tough. This last year I've been working six out of seven days, with at least one or two doubles thrown in there. When I get home, I'm too tired to do much and when I have a day off, I have stuff to do. Lately though, I've been having lots of anxiety problems and I need something to unwind and relax me. Writing has always been a place for me to let go. So I'm gonna try to get back into the swing of things. So yeah, let's see how this goes.**

 **Orginally I wasn't going to post this until I finished the series, but its my birthday! And I really wanted to begin publishing on my birthday. So here it is! I've gotten ten chapters done ahead of time so I'll slowly post them. For now, please enjoy the long awaited chapter six!**

 **Missed you guys!**

 **Disclaimer: Yep, I'm still putting these on here. Always gotta cover my ass lol. I don't own this. Do you?**

 **Chapter Six:**

It had been nearly a month since the space bridge events, and subsequently, since I moved to Jasper and met the Autobots. It has certainly been an interesting journey, to say the least. Jack, Miko, and Raf had become close friends of mine, but none of them came close to the bond I shared with Cliffjumper.

Saving Cliff will probably be the greatest thing I do with my life. While I still didn't understand how it was possible for me to bring back a being from the dead, I was grateful for the ability to do so. I struggled with the knowledge that alien energy resided within me, giving me strength and abilities that no other human being possessed. The history of the Allspark was fascinating to learn about. It was an energy that could not be destroyed, but could simply transform its primary function.

For millennials, it resided within a cube. None of the Autobots knew the cube's origins, but they never seemed to care. The Allspark was a beacon of hope, a powerful artifact that was able to give their race life. After Megatron attempted to steal it in his rise to power, it was sent into deep space, never to be seen again.

Until I happen to come across it.

My memories of that fateful day were clear. I remember the bright blue lake and the metal shard that had caught my interest. Now I knew that the lake had been liquidized energon and the shard was from the cube. We didn't know what happened to the rest of it and after a days journey to my hometown, we discovered that the lake had either dried up, or I imagined it because it was gone without a single shred of evidence to prove that it had ever been there. No one knew what to think and I wasn't sure if my memories could even be believed.

Still, I did possess the power of the Allspark. I healed quickly, my stamina and flexibility had improved remarkably, I could bring Autobots back from the dead completely healed and somehow I could communicate with other Cybertronians spread among the stars. The lattter two of which I kept to myself. Cliff obviously knew about the whole bringing them back from the dead thing, but I had yet to tell the others. I think they all suspected it was me though. No one ever asked, so I neither confirmed nor denied it.

Now communicating with Cybertronians via my dreams was something I was still trying to get a grasp on. You see, it wasn't just Autobots that I could visit, it was Cons as well. A few times I appeared at my lake and a red eyed Decepticon stood waiting for me. They, of course, did not know what to think of me. I was a small, irritating organic to them. Most of the time, they ignored me, refusing to speak in my native tongue. That was fine with me. I was not interested in talking with a Con. They were scary.

Mostly, I tried to keep busy and not worry about the huge turn of events that had changed my life for good. My days were spent juggling with school, basic combat training, and the medical training I did with Ratchet.

Optimus had made good on his word to train me if I wanted to continue to join him in the field. Only it wasn't any of the bots who did the training. Prime had made a deal with Special Agent Fowler. Everyday before my classes, I was picked up by Cliff and taken out to a nearby military training facility. I had to be there by 4:30 a.m., so I was usually out of bed and out the door by 3:45. During the drive there, I would spend the time studying either my class work or whatever Ratchet had me doing that week.

Training had been tough the first two weeks. I was pushed harder than I ever had been before in my life. Agent Fowler knew that I would be running with the big guys (really BIG guys!) and so he upped my training to the max. It was grueling work that a lesser person would've given up on a long time ago. But I was determined. And with the Allspark energy pulsing through my body, it wasn't hard to push myself further than I ever had. By the third week, I was training like a pro. I had even overheard Fowler telling Prime that he had never seen anyone train as hard and as quickly as I had, not even in the special forces.

I may have gotten a bit of an ego boost from that.

Training usually lasted about three and a half hours. Once it was over, we would drive back to Jasper so that I could make it to my first class at nine. My classes lasted from nine until two thirty in the afternoon. Cliff would pick me up at the front of the college and drive us to the base. During the drive, I would eat lunch. I skipped breakfast more than I should, so I was usually starving by that time.

When we arrived to the base, around two fifteen to two thirty depending on traffic, I would jump right into my training with Ratchet. Mostly it was a lot of reading, but it was all very fascinating. I loved learning about the Cybertronians biology and history.

Usually during this time, Ratchet would also scan me and ask a bunch of questions to log about my condition. He was very interested in understanding the scientific viewpoint of my Allspark predicament. I was also curious and allowed him to basically use me as a guinea pig. After all, how often do you come across a human with the power of the Allspark? Not very, I would imagine.

My condition was relatively stable though. Ratchet didn't see any sort of change that he was worried about. That was certainly a relief. At least I wasn't being slowly poisoned. Of course, if it really had been in me for years, then it was unlikely it would kill me now after so long.

I usually worked with Ratchet well into the afternoon. Sometimes I would stop and chat with the others when they arrived, but a lot of the times I was too engrossed with learning. Cliff would usually remind me around five that I would need to leave soon to return home for dinner and to my school work before bed. I usually got most of my school work done at school, having an hour break and a half break at 11 before my final class on Monday, Wednesday and Fridays, and an hour break at noon on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Still, my parents expected me home by six so I'd typically leave the base by five thirty.

Dinner would be waiting for me when I got home. I would eat then head up to my room to finish whatever homework I had left and maybe a shower if I had time. Usually I would be in bed by eight thirty. I always managed to take a shower at the base before heading to school so I usually got one once or twice a day, in case you were worried about my personal hygiene.

All in all, I was usually pretty busy. That was why Ratchet demanded I take Sundays off every week. I could come to the base if I wanted, but I couldn't train or study, just relax. With my newly found endurance, I knew I would be okay without the day off. However, I appreciated it nonetheless. After all, I really didn't want to find out if it was possible to burn myself out. Who knows what those consequences were.

My life may be crazy now, but honestly I wouldn't change it for the world. This week had been particularly busy so I was honestly kind of relieved when Sunday arrived. Cliff had arrived to my honked outside my house around ten thirty. I raced out the door, waving goodbye to my parents as I went. I knew they were worried that I was stretching myself too thin lately, but I tried to tell them I was fine. When they asked where I was all the time when I wasn't at school, I simply told them I was interning. When they asked what for, I told them it was kind of classified. Which had, admittedly, freaked them out. Agent Fowler came by and talked to them one day and every since then, they hadn't asked. I didn't know what he had said, but it worked.

Cliff was parked right in front of the house, his holoform grinning at me. He stood about my height in this form, which I loved to pick on him for it. After all, I was pretty short. Ratchet's own form was several inches taller than him. I hadn't seen the other bots. Cliff was pretty cute as a human though. While Ratchet was fit, Cliff had a more athletic build.

"Morning Cliff." I grinned at my guardian. He opened his door for me and I giggled. It was funny knowing that this was only a holoform that was opening Cliffs actual form. Cliff winked at me before shutting the door after I'd climbed inside. The seat belt snaked over me and clipped itself as it always did. His holo then went around and got into the driver's seat. "So anything interesting happen in the past couple hours?"

"Nope, just the same old, same old." Cliff responded through the radio. After we drove away from my house, the windows tinted dark so that no one could see inside, and the holo fizzled out.

"Aw, goodbye human Cliffy." I giggled, much to his amusement.

"You seem to be in a good mood this morning." My friend remarked and I couldn't help but agree with him. I honestly felt like today was going to be a great day.

"Well, today is Sunday so its my free day. The sun is shining, the bees are buzzing and all that jazz." I joked, causing Cliff to snort in amusement. The rest of the ride was pretty silent. I stared out the window at the endless amount of sand and clumps of rock. Soon enough though, we arrived at the canyon that hid the Autobot base from the rest of the world.

I hopped out of Cliff when we parked inside and he quickly broke apart and stood up. He waved to the others before heading down the hall, no doubt in search of energon. My human friends were working on what looked to be science projects with their Autobot counterparts. I chuckled in amusement. Lucky for me, I didn't take any science class and my homework for the weekend was finished.

Instead, I walked over to Optimus, who was staring at the computer screen. His optics seemed dimmer. I knew this meant he was worrying about something that was troubling him. Ratchet must've noticed the same thing because he had walked over as well. I climbed up the stairs that would take me to the appear level so that I could be close in height to them.

"Optimus, why so glum? This planet, _all_ planets, are free from Megatron's tyranny." Ratchet spoke.

Prime glanced over at his old friend then at me before staring ahead once more. "I do not disagree Ratchet. It's just… a small part of me hoped to changge Megatron's' mind, not extinguish his spark." Optimus admitted, sounding defeated.

I was curious then. I knew very little details about the war before the bots came to our planet, they didn't like to talk about it. However, I always felt like there was something more that had happened between Megatron and Optimus. Their rivalry seemed to go beyond just being mortal enemies. Optimus felt real betrayal and I saw it in his optics anytime the Decepticon leader was brought up.

However, it was not my place to ask about it. Optimus had known me a month. While I knew he trusted me, there was some things better left unsaid unless it was truly important for me to know. It pained Optimus to talk about his past, so I didn't ask. Perhaps one day he would tell me, but that was his decision to make. I was still mostly a stranger to him.

"Optimus, his vileness was not slain by your hand, but by his own twisted arrogance." Ratchet reminded him, his voice only slightly stern. He then added softly, "I'm sorry. I know you two had quite the history."

My curiosity got the better of me. "Were you and Megatron friends once?"

"Yes. Megatron and I once fought side by side in the beginning. However, ideals can be corrupted and Megatron soon lost his way. The bot I knew perished the moment he became leader of the Decepticons." Optimus did the Cybertronian equivalent of a sigh, which basically sounded like air being vented. "Still, the Decepticons are not without leadership. Starscream may not be Megatron, but he is far from predictable."

An explosion suddenly went off, filling the air with smoke. I jumped, letting out a small squeak of fear. Ratchet yelped, snatching me from the platform and ran away from the noise. "Decepticons! We're under attack!"

"Ratchet, the Cons don't even know our location." I reminded him and pointing to the Raf's science project. "It's just Raf's volcano project, see." Ratchet looked over at the melting display and sneered in disgust. Then he noticed that Raf wasn't the only one making a mess, Jack and Miko were as well. Miko, with the help of Bulkhead, was building a replica of the solar system, though some of her paint seemed to be making it on the floor rather than her project. Jack was building a motorcycle, Arcee assisting the best she could.

"What in the Allspark is going on here?" Ratchet demanded and I bit back a chuckle because technically, I was the Allspark. He heard and shot me a glare before setting me down gently on the floor.

"Our projects are due in tomorrow." Jack explained. Arcee picked up an exhaust pipe and asked if it was need. "You're a motorcycle, Arcee. Shouldn't you know how to build a motorcycle engine?" He asked playfully. Arcee put a hand on her hip and asked him if, since he was human, could he build her a small intestine.

I laughed at that. Ratchet sent me anothernother withering look before turning his glare to the others. "Well you can't work in here. You're making a mess!" He objected.

"But the science fair is part of our grade."Raf retaliated, which Miko quickly agreed with. "Yeah! If Bulkhead doesn't help me finish the model of the solar system…" She trailed off when Ratchet interrupted her. "Oh! And what does Bulkhead know of your solar system? Or Bumblebee of your volcanoes?"

"Or Arcee of our motorcycles?" Jack added in.

"Precisely! We're not Earthlings! And they're _not_ scientists."

I looked up over at Optimus when he decided to join in on the conversation. "But the Autobots are their guardians, Ratchet. Would it hurt to learn more about this planet by helping our young friends with their schoolwork?"

It was at this moment that Cliff finally decided to rejoin us. "What's this about schoolwork?" My guardian asked with slight amusement.

"The kiddos over there have science projects due tomorrow and their guardians are helping them. Why don't you ever help me with my homework?" I teased him. He grinned sheepishly at me. "You never ask?"

"Irregardless, the humans could learn more about Cybertron." Ratchet huffed irritably. He then turned his attention to me. "Jessica, to the medbay. It's time for your daily check up."

I nodded and climbed into Cliffs hand. He followed Ratchet through the halls and into the familiar medical bay room. I'd been in here so much the past month that you'd think it was my own. Cliff deposited me of the middle berth and I felt the tingly sensation that meant Ratchet had scanned me. "Hmm, all your vitals seem normal… at least, normal by your new standards." Ratchet informed me and I nodded.

He then began questioning me, logging my answers as usual. The answer were pretty standard. How was I feeling, any weird aches or pains, did I notice anything different about my skin? Did I have any nightmares, or hallucinations, or feelings of intense fear or anger. Sometimes he got more personal, asking about human habits like whether I had problems using the bathroom or if I had gotten my period yet. That one always made me blush and stutter. He didn't understand my embarrassment about natural human functions. When I tried to explain it to him, he just seemed to get more confused. I eventually gave up and just answered the questions as he asked them, after all, he was a doctor.

My answers were always the same though. I felt pretty normal except for, you know, the none normal Allspark stuff. I felt healthy, stronger than I've ever felt before in my entire life. And I always told him as such. "How much longer are we going to do these daily examinations? My answers are always the same and my vitals are steady. There's no reason to do them so frequently." I asked, trying hard to not sound like I was whining.

Ratchet frowned. "I just want to make sure you're okay. I've never encountered anything like this. We don't know how your body will continue to react to the alien energy in your body. What if it begins rejecting it? Or what if, instead of healing you and increasing your endurance and strength, it begins to poison and suck away your strength? You are an abnormality, Jessica. And we all care too much about you to allow you any harm."

"Ratchet, I've had this stuff in my body since I was like eight. In all this time, it has not affected me negatively in any way. In fact, it only recently began to give me these newfound powers. I don't know what they mean or why I have them, but I don't think its purpose is to kill me. The Allspark gives your people life. It is a beacon of light in the dark. I'm not saying you should stop checking up on me. But maybe we could do the check ups once a week instead of everyday?" I suggested hopefully. Ratchet still didn't seem convinced so I sighed. "Look, you can still scan me anytime you want if that would make you feel better. And I promise to come to you if I ever feel like something's changed. But I honestly think I'll be alright."

"She's right, Doc. It's time you let her off the leash a little. The kid's smart, she'll tell you if something is wrong." Cliffjumper added in. Ratchet and I both sent me scathing glares for his use of nicknames. Both of us hated them. Cliff put his arms up in surrender.

Ratchet huffed after a minute of silence. "Alright fine, we'll do them once a week." He finally relented. I cheered in excitement, shooting my guardian a thankful smile. "However, I will scan you if I think something might be off. And you better come to me if anything changes, understand?"

"Yes sir!" I saluted seriously before my face broke out into a large grin once again. However, my victory was short lived when an alarm suddenly sounded throughout the base. Cliff scooped me up and the three of us walked back up to the front where everyone was gathered around the computers. "What's going on?" I asked curiously, though I felt a slight sense of dread. Whatever it was, it couldn't be good.

"Exposed energon! And it's on the move!" Ratchet announced in horror. "And since we're not moving it, guess who it must be." Bulkhead added on, a steely look in his optics. The cons were back.

"Without Megatron?" Miko inquired, her face pinched in disbelief.

"Unfortunately, Megatron's legacy will live on as others risk to take his place." Optimus explained to her before he turned to his soldiers. "Autobots remain here. You have projects to complete. Ratchet, I may require aid."

Ratchet looked over at the kids projects, hesitating. "The projects are a big part of their grade. Perhaps I'm better suited to remain behind and advise." Ratchet offered. I hummed thoughtfully. This would certainly be interesting.

"Very well. Bumblebee, Cliffjumper, let us see about this energon deposit." Optimus ordered and Ratchet activated the groundbridge. I wished my guardian luck and told him to be careful before they walked through, disappearing from sight. I wanted to go with so badly, but I knew I still had training to go through. Soon I would start training with the bots, learning how to defend myself against beings that literally towered over me. Until then, it was best that I didn't risk my life unnecessarily.

I looked over at Ratchet, who already had this look on his face that told me this was going to be interesting. "Good luck guys, I think I'm going to take a quick power nap." I waved at my friends before heading down the halls to my base room. I stayed over from time to time when I felt too tired to go home. There was a section of the base that was basically turned into the quarters for the children and I. We each had our own room and a small living room space that included another TV and video game station. As you can tell, we were pretty set here. We even had beds instead of cots like most military bases. I kicked off my shoes and sank into the mattress, covering myself with my blanket. It didn't take long for me to drift off into a peaceful sleep.

XxRebelWriterxX

I awoke sometime later feeling refreshed. Hopping out of bed, I slipped my shoes back on and walked out of the room. The bathroom was located nearby and that was the first place I went to. Once I was done with that, I walked back to the front of the base where the others were located. When I arrived, I was met with an interesting sight.

Ratchet had commandeered all three of their projects and had turned them into his own little inventions. I walked over to Bulkhead and gave him a questioning look. "Ratchet's gone science mad." He answered and I repressed a shudder. That could not be good.

"Let's see, where is it…" He mumbled to himself as he paced the room. When he found what he was looking for, he walked back over to Raf's 'project' and began tinkering away at it again. Raf asked him what it was, looking just as confused as I was. "You-you'll find out." He answered abruptly and snappishly.

"But Ratchet, shouldn't I be doing the work?" Raf asked, leaning in slightly. Ratchet held up a hand to stop him from coming any close. "Yip-ip-ip! Don't touch, just watch! And learn."

"So… we're just going to go help Jack and Miko finish theirs-" Bulkhead started to say as he back away from the crazed medic. However, Ratchet sent him a steely glare, causing him to stop in his tracks. "Without my supervision! You want them to be right, don't you?" Nobody answered, choosing to exchange looks instead. "Then watch a master at work."

I stepped forward and put a warning hand on Ratchet's leg. He looked down at him, optics shrinking in irritation. "Ratchet you can't just do their projects. This is _their_ grade and _they_ have to be the one to do it. How are they suppose to learn if they don't do their own work? They begin to think that they don't ever have to do their work again before Ratchet will do it for them." I tried to explain to him.

"This is different. This is science." Was his only reply before he got back to work. I groaned, but gave up. At least I could say I tried. "Control freak." I heard Miko mutter and I huffed out a laugh. She wasn't wrong. Ratchet finished up Raf's, then moved on to Miko's and Jacks. By the time he was finished, Optimus, Bee and Cliff had come back.

When it was time to go, I watched as my friends loaded up their projects. They each had forlorn looks on their faces and I knew tomorrow would be an interesting day for them. I really hoped it didn't go as badly as I feared it would. But I guess we would see.

"Ready to go?" Cliff asked not to long after the others had gone. He had just gotten done debriefing with Ratchet and Optimus about what had happened out in the field. "Yep, let's go." I replied and he transformed into his vehicle mode. I hope inside and away we went.

XxRebelWriterxX

 _Once more I found myself in my dream world, sitting at the edge of the lake that had changed my life. This time, there was a Cybertronian sitting beside me that I did not recognize. Something about them oozed ancient power and that made me curious. I looked up into their optics and gasped when I saw the deep red._

 _The bot chuckled. "Do not be afraid, little one. I will not hurt you."_

 _I gasped at the familiar voice. It belonged to the one that had been inside my head since the moment I met the Autobots. This was the voice that had urged me to save Cliffjumper and warned me against falling in love. "Who are you?" I asked._

" _I am known by many names. However, you may know me by one. I am Primus."_

 _My eyes widened, almost comically so, and I couldn't help but stare in awe. If this truly was Primus, and I felt it was because of the warmth I felt in his presence. This was no ordinary Cybertronian. But why would the God of Cybertronians give me audience? What had I done to earn such an honor?_

" _My child, you have done much for my people in such a short time. And you will do so much more for them in the future. You are the key to my creations survival." His voice was soothing, but his words startled me. What could he possibly mean by that. "Do not worry, you will understand in time. You have done well so far. Heed my warning and everything will be as it should. And be careful. While I love my creations all equally, I am disappointed with the actions of the ones you know as Decepticons. They have traveled down a dark path. One that I fear will lead them towards Unicron himself."_

" _You guys have unicorns?" My eyes furrowed in confusion._

 _Primus laughed, and the sound was pleasant and sincere. "No child, Unicron. You will know of him in time. You must wake up now. I will talk to you again soon. Good luck and remember what I have told you."_

 _He faded away and my vision grew dark, which meant I would soon be waking. Still, my mind was reeling from the conversation I just had with an actual God. Just what had my life become in such a short time._

My eyes opened and I sat up abruptly. So much had happened this past month and it just seemed to get weirder and weirder. I didn't know if I should tell Ratchet about my dreams or not. Primus (Holy shit again) had not given me a sign as to whether it was a good idea or not. And just who exactly was Unicron? Why did Primus want me to avoid love? Who exactly could I possibly love? I hang around giant robotic organisms that had come from a different planet! So many questions rushed through my mind.

There was one thing I knew for certain though. Things were going to just keep getting stranger over time and I don't think I wanted it any other way.

XxRebelWriterxX

Back at the base, later on that afternoon, I waited with Ratchet for the kids to come in. He was excited to know what their grades were for the projects he had done for them. I told him not to get his hopes up, but he didn't want to listen to me. He didn't seem to understand that this was Earth, not Cybertron.

I heard the sound of Bulkhead honking, announcing the arrival of my human friends. Jack rode in on Arcee and got off when she came to a stop. Raf and Miko were both riding in Bulkhead and had climbed out upon arrival. The two bots transformed once it was safe. Ratchet had me in his hand while my guardian stood to the left side of him, closer to me. "Well, how were my...err… our projects received?" Ratchet asked, unable to withstand the anticipation a moment longer.

"Well…" Raf trailed off and they each explain the disaster that had been their science projects. Jacks had just gone wild when he tried to turn it on. It ended up taking out a door and frightening people in the hallway. Mikos had fallen apart, the strings were strong enough to hold onto the metal Ratchet had used to recreate Cybertron. Raf's was the worst though. His had completely blown a hole through the ceiling with a super powerful laser.

"Well, on our planet you would have been awarded the highest honor." Ratchet scoffed. "Absolutely no gratitude whatsoever."

I chuckled at his frustration. "As I said earlier, Ratch, we're not on your planet. This is Earth. And we are completely different from Cybertron." I tried once more to get through to him. Ratchet didn't listen, instead choosing to continue grumbling to himself.

Bumblebee spoke and while I didn't understand him, I had a basic idea of what he just sad. "Indeed Bumblebee. Our human friends would have been wise to stray from Ratchet's path." Optimus said, his optics twinkling in amusement.

"Now he tells us."Miko grumbled, causing the rest of us to start laughing.

 **Alright and that's done. So not so much romance in this one. I think Ratchet was a little distracted trying to show off the entire time. We got a little bit of a look into what Jessica's life has become since joining the Autobots. Clearly she needed some training and what better way to do that than basic training lol. I'm not really sure if there's a military base around Jasper (or if Jasper is a real place?), but for the sake of my story, there is. So yeah, get over it. It's fanfiction lol.**

 **Until next time, my friends. Au revoir!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Good morning everyone and welcome back for the next chapter! Can I just say how happy I am? I woke up this morning, put on some country music, and started writing this. I just forgot how relaxing it is to write. This was a big part of my life and living without it was tougher than I ever realized. But I'm back baby! I'm ready to get these chapters written out and posted for all of you to enjoy! Then maybe I could try and finish some of my other unfinished projects. I know I want to eventually finish Adventures of Agrabah.**

 **Anyways without further ado, let's get this party started!**

 **Disclaimer: No own.**

 **Chapter Seven:**

The school week had finally ended following the events of pyscho science Ratchet. I'm pretty sure the kids avoided doing homework at the base all week in fear that Ratch would once again try to help. He wasn't amused, but Cliff and I thought it was pretty hilarious. At least, until I was working on a history paper and Ratchet asked me if I needed any assistance.

I tried to let him down as gently as I could.

Now it was Saturday. I was up at my usual time of 3:20 a.m. so I could head to training. Agent Fowler was waiting for me when Cliff pulled up to drop me off. I saluted him when I got out of the car, a gesture that had been ingrained in my mind since I started coming out here. "Miss Sutton, you'll be taking a test today so we can determine how far along you are in your training. Sergeant Malone is impressed with your progress and has kept me updated each week. Now I'd like to see it for myself."

"Yes, sir." I said. I heard Cliff snort in amusement and I reached back to hit his door. That just made his holoform full out laugh before he took off to do whatever it was he did while I trained. I rolled my eyes before smiling at Fowler. "Lead the way, Agent Fowler."

I was trained in how to properly speak to and address military personnel, but I could get away with not using it since I wasn't actually enlisted. I was still pretty amazed that they allowed a civilian into the base to train as if she were military. When I asked Prime about it, he just said that I was part of their team. Still, it'd be cool to have military clearance.

Fowler went into the training area while I ducked into the womans changing room. I was given a couple pairs of military training clothes to wear, which was pretty sweet. I kept them here in a locker so my parents didn't freak. I tried to assure them that, despite the fact that I was working with the military, I wasn't actually enlisted. They still worried though. I knew they didn't understand exactly what it was that I was doing, but they couldn't know. Imagine if they found out I was working with a group of alien robotic organisms that stood as tall as skyscrapers, or that I somehow possessed the power of the Allspark.

Yeah, that would be pretty bad.

I quickly got dressed and walked out into the familiar training area. Today there was an obstacle course set up. I looked around curiously, noting how difficult it would be for someone who wasn't trained. It would probably be difficult for someone who wasn't enhanced like I was. To me, though, it seemed fairly simple. I knew not to get a big head though. The minute I got cocky, they would throw something out there that would completely mess me up.

"This looks fun." I told Special Agent Fowler and Sergeant Malone when I got up to them. Malone was a very strict instructor. He had a sharp, no nonsense personality and a constant stern demeanor. It didn't matter that I was civilian, he treated me likely any new recruit who was wet behind the ears.

I liked him. He was fun.

"Miss Sutton, you are to complete this obstacle course in the quickest time possible. If you do not complete it in under five minutes, we will consider it a fail and you will resume your training as usual." Sergeant Malone informed me.

"And if I complete it in under five minutes?" I asked curiously. Neither of them answered, just looked at me expectantly. "Right. Well okay. I can do this. Five minutes, no problem. That's plenty of time." I muttered to myself as I headed to the start of the course. When I got to the front, I looked over at the two and waited for the signal to begin.

Sergeant Malone raised his whistle to his lips and blew it, indicating that I start. I took off, climbing under, over, up or down whatever came my way. I jumped, ducked, and swung at each new obstacle, pushing myself harder than I ever had before. I tried not to laugh in exhilaration. This was honestly the most fun I've had in training.

The last obstacle was one of those climbing walls. I stood several feet back then ran straight at it. I had planned to run straight up the wall like you'd see in America Ninja Warrior. So imagine my surprise when I was able to push off the ground and jump straight to the top. It was nearly ten feet tall and I jumped up with zero problems, like a freaking power ranger! I stood there stunned for a moment. "Finish the course, Sutton!" Sergeant Malones voice rang up, reminding me that I was in a timed event. I pushed myself forward and rang the bell, stopping the timer.

I took the rappelling rope wall down. When I touched down to the ground, I unhooked myself and walked over to the other two, trying not to look too expectant. Fowler was watching me curiously, as if he was trying to figure out just what it was he saw when he looked at me. Malone looked impressed, though he tried to hide it.

"Well Miss Sutton, that was quite the show." Fowler informed me, folding his arms and giving me an amused smirk.

"Thanks, I try. How'd I do?" I asked, unable to hide my eagerness anymore. My mind kept going over the jump I did. Clearly there was more to be discovered when it came to the changes the Allspark did to my body. "Four minutes, thirty-seven second, an impressive time. You probably would've been under four minutes if you hadn't stopped at the top of the wall." Sergeant Malone replied, giving me a look for my blunder. "No matter, you passed. Congratulations."

Then Malone did something I hadn't expected. He saluted me. Quickly I saluted him back, trying to mask my shock. I've never seen him salute anyone who was a lower rank first. I knew it was only done when that recruit did something to really impress him. "Good luck out there, Sutton. You're gonna need it." Sergeant Malone said before turning and leaving the room. Now it was just Fowler and I.

"What just happened?" I asked, surprised. "Am I not going to be training with Sergeant Malone anymore?"

"No, Miss Sutton, you won't. This course was you're completion test. You've now finished basic training here. Of course, you'll still need to take a couple courses for weapons. I've already gotten you a concealed weapon clearance. However, you'll do all this training back at the Autobots base." Agent Fowler informed me.

"So I won't be coming back here? Wow. I thought basic training usually lasted a couple months?" I was pretty amazed, honestly. I figured I would be training for at least another month. I didn't know much about military basic training, but I knew there was a lot more to it than what I had been through the past few weeks.

"Typically that would be the case. However, you're not our usual recruit. With your enhanced abilities, you've left all the other recruits in the dust! Plus you're not here because you want to join our military, you're here for something much bigger. I've talked to the pentagon, and we've been thinking about adding a new branch of the military, specially trained to fight with the Autobots, instead of just hiding them away. However we need someone to lead this new branch, someone connected to both the humans… and the Autobots." Fowler explained and I couldn't help but feel astonished by his words.

"And you think that person should be me? But like you said, I'm not military."

"True, but if you accept this, then you will be given special clearance." Fowler laid a hand on my shoulder. "Jessica, you are in a unique position here. As someone who channels the Allspark energy, you are important to our Autobot allies. And as a human, you are also connected to our people. You have a foot in both worlds, making you the perfect candidate for this position. It is, of course, your choice. I cannot carry on the position of Autobot liaison forever, and both Optimus and I agree that you would be best to take over for me."

"That is a lot to take it. I still have a lot to learn though, I really don't think I'm ready to lead an entire branch, especially one that would be so new." I tried to rationalize.

"Of course not. However, none of this is exactly set in stone. I believe that having a branch that specializes in Cybertronian training would be a good idea, but the boys upstairs have different opinions. Right now, this is all speculative. However, if it ever does come to pass, I want you to be the one who leads it. That was why Optimus and I agreed to give you this training." Fowler assured me. "Now then, take some time and think it over. You don't have to make a decision yet. Just continue your training. I'll see you soon, I'm sure."

When Fowler walked away, I stood there for a moment stunned. Today had certainly been interesting, and it wasn't even six a.m. yet! First I discovered that I could jump up to ten feet, maybe even more if I put the effort into it. Then I discovered that both Fowler and Optimus wanted me to one day lead a military branch that specialized in fighting the Decepticons along side the Autobots.

What exactly had my life come to?

Still, I felt honored that they believed I could do something as important as this. And like Agent Fowler said, it was all pretty speculative. Who knows if this would even come to pass? For now, I just needed to focus on my school work and training. Future Jessica could worry about future problems.

I left the training area and went to hit the showers.

Once I was finished, I called Cliff on my comms and let him know I was ready walking outside. My guardian was already waiting for me when I came out. "Howdy partner." I greeted as I climbed into Cliffs vehicle form. "Howdy. How was training? You weren't in there very long. I was expecting to patrol around for another couple hours."

"Actually, that's the weird thing, Fowler said I was done training here. He said I had completed it. Now my training was going to take place at the base." I replied.

"Is that so? I was wondering when I would get the chance to begin training you."

"You're training me?"

"Yes. I'm your mentor as well as your guardian. Optimus has decided that I'm the best fit to train you. But I warn you, I am a tough teacher. If you're going to be out there fighting the Decepticons, I want to make sure you're fully prepared."

"Huh." I leaned back against the seat and folded my arms. "Well then, at least I know you won't take it easy on me. I want to be ready to fight the Decepticons. With the Allspark energy inside me, I will always be a target. If I can't defend myself, and they manage to get their claws on me, who knows what kind of damage they can cause."

"You're not wrong there."

We pulled into the Silo and I climbed out of the vehicle so that my guardian could transform. Ratchet was working near his computer while Optimus and Arcee were looking over one of the datapads. "Hey guys." I waved. The three of them nodded in greeting before returning to whatever it was they were doing. A minute later, Bulkhead and Bee came riding into the silo, dropping off the three other humans.

"Miss us, Doc Bot!" Miko called out cheerfully.

Ratchet did not look amused. "Shouldn't they be in school?" He asked no one in particular and I snorted. "Ratch, it's a Saturday, remember? We have the weekends off."

"To spend with you!" Miko laughed enthusiastically. Ratchet huffed and looked away. Jack walked over to his guardian. "I wasn't expecting a carpool Arcee, what gives?" He asked her curiously. She informed him that she had exploration duty that day. "Aw too bad, it's a beautiful day for a ride. I would hate for you to feel guilty for leaving me indoors." Jack attempted her to guilt her into taking him.

" _Arctic_ Exploration duty." She added, a hand on her hip. Jack decided indoors would be better. Raf, however, was interested in going because her had always wanted to see snow. "I would invite you, Rafael, but the conditions are much too extreme, even for us Autobots." Optimus informed him. Raf was disappointed but understood. Optimus and Arcee walked towards the now powered up groundbridge, when Optimus paused and turned around to face Raf once more. "But, I will bring you back a snowball."

Raf's face light up. "That would be awesome!" I smiled, happy for Raf. The Autobots truly were incredible beings. The groundbridge closed behind them, but the sound of a slight explosion cause me to jump in alarm.

"By the Allspark!" Ratchet mumbled, hitting the side of it in frustration. "Blasted Earth tech."

"Is everything alright?" I asked him. The other three went up to sit on the couch and play video games, so they didn't pay us much mind. Ratchet was running diagnostics on the computers. Bee, Cliff and Bulk had joined us as well. My guardian bent down and offered a hand so I could get a better look.

"I am not sure. Something is wrong with the groundbridge power." Ratchet replied after a moment.

"Hey guys, look what I found." Raf called out and I looked over to see him carrying what looked like a mini robot pet. It was kind of cute, but it gave off a weird vibe. Ratchet growled, saying that they were busy, but turned around nonetheless. Then the bots did something I never thought I'd hear or see, they shrieked in fear. All four of them. They pointed their weapons at Raf, causing Miko and Jack to run in front of him. I would've done the same thing if I weren't still in my frightened guardians grip.

"Whoa guys! What's going on!" I yelped at the same time that Miko asked what was with them. Cliff had sort of swung me around when he had pulled out his weapons, so I was feeling a bit of whiplash. Bulkhead began screeching something about Scraplets while waving his cannons at the four of us. "What's a Scraplet?" Raf and I asked at the same time.

"The most dangerous vermin to ever crawl on the face of Cybertron." Ratchet hissed. I exchanged bewildered looks with my human friends. Who could something so tiny be considered dangerous? "It doesn't look very dangerous." I commented and Raf agreed with me, saying it wouldn't hurt anything.

Right after he said that, the things eyes blinked open and it looked sluggishly around the room. As soon as it's eyes laid upon the four Cybertronians, though, it's mouth opened to reveal razor sharp teeth. "What the hell." I gasped when he fell out of Raf's arms and charged at Bee. Bee wildly shot at it, but missed. The thing jumped onto his leg and began chomping down. "Bumblebee!" I gasped.

Bee grabbed it, but the Scraplet his through his hand. The scout flung it onto the ground and quickly scooted away from it. It stood back up, but before it could move, Raf whacked it away. He then began to beat the Scraplet mercilessly. Jack ran over and took it from him, saying "Whoa there, killer."

"Well that was unexpected." I said while looking up at my guardian. Cliff smiled uneasily at me, but I could tell he was shaken up. Raf ran over to his guardian, apologizing and asking if he would be okay. Ratchet assured him that it was only a mesh wound.

"No do you believe me? All Scraplets do is dismantle machinery and eat anything metal! Especially living metal." Bulkhead asserted, his expression wild with fear. "Well, bug squashed, game over right?" Jack asked and somehow I knew it wouldn't be that easy. Not with how tense the bots still looked.

"No, when it comes to Scraplets, there's never just one. And I fear I know how they got in here." Ratchet replied grimly. He lead us all through the base and into the storage room. It was here that Cliff finally put me down. They walked over to what looked like a metal egg chilling in a puddle of water. "It's a trap! A Scraplet trap!"

"An empty Scraplet trapped." Bulkhead added fearfully.

"Most likely ejected into space eons ago only to wind up in the Arctic where the temperature kept them in stasis." Ratchet continued.

"Until we brought the thaw." Jack gulped. Miko frowned and crossed her arms. "Now they're awake and ready to brunch."

"Just how many are we talking about here?" I asked after a moment of silence.

"Thousands, with the power malfunction and the groundbridge damaged are sure signs of their infestation being well under way." Ratchet answered before running back to the main room. He once again attempted to contact the other two. "Ratchet to Optimus, do you read me? We have a situation." The screen glitched and the medic slammed his fists down. "Scraplets have gotten to the comlink system! If we don't eradicate these creatures immediately, they will reduce the entire base into a scrapheap."

"I say we bug out of here and let em keep it." Bulkhead suggested, Bee and Cliff both nodding in agreement.

"Evacuation is not an option. If we don't get the bridge online stat, Optimus and Arcee will perish." Ratchet snapped. My heart stopped at that. All of the bots were like family to me, the thought of losing one of them was terrifying. Miko was pretty irritated with Bulkhead's willingness to run and she let him know it.

"Miko, you haven't seen a swarm of them devour a bot! I have! They pick you apart from the inside out, going for the small juicy bits first. Fuse by fuse, circuit by circuit until there's nothing left. And I mean nothing! Not even your optics." Bulkhead shuddered and I winced. Sometimes I forget just how much horror each of the bots have faced in their lifetimes. I can't imagine what it must of been like in their war.

"Okay, well, you have to let us help then. We're not made of metal so the Scraplet's can't hurt us. We'll have an easier time getting around the base unscathed." I volunteered and my three human friends nodded in agreement.

"Typically I find your fleshiness you least engaging quality…" Ratchet began and I couldn't help but feel slightly hurt by his comment. "But it would appear to provide an advantage under these extremes."

"Okay, since we're in agreement, let's split up and see if we can find the problems caused by the Scraplet's. One human to one bot. Miko and Raf, go with your guardians. Jack, I want you to go with Cliff. Usually I would be the one too, but with all the training I've done with Ratchet, I feel like I'd be better suited staying here and helping him." I ordered, immediately taking on the leader role.

Everyone nodded in agreement. I told them to be careful before watching as they walked out. Then I ran over to Ratchet, who had begun working on the groundbridge repair. "How's it going over there? Do you need any help?" I asked him, trying to ignore the screaming I heard from Bulk and the sound of gunshots.

"I've repaired the damage conductors and rerouted the central conduits, but the groundbridge still won't receive power!" He growled his reply, once more slamming his fists on the floor. "Just keep guard, I'll let you know if I need you to do something."

I nodded and walked away to get a better view of the room, grabbing the crowbar Raf had used earlier. It was almost too quiet for about five minutes and I wondered if maybe they had over exaggerated the danger. But then I heard the tiny tinkering noise of a thousand Scraplets coming this way. "Scrap." I gulped when I saw hundreds of them come into view. They were crawling on the ceiling.

The Scraplets turned their attention to me and an oblivious Ratchet. Then all of them exposed their razor sharp teeth and jumped off the wall, flying right at us. "Ratchet, you never said they could fly!" I shrieked, bringing his attention to the threat.

They began swarming around my friend. "NO!" I shouted and began whacking at them. Unfortunately, the hit only stunned them. They quickly got back up and attacked Ratchet again. Ratchet tried to get up, but he was overwhelmed and ended up falling once more. "Use the fire extinguisher!" He yelled at me.

I swung my head wildly around until I found it and ran over to grab it. It took me a second to figure out how to get the damn thing to work, but once I did, I quickly began spraying them and laughed when they started to fall off. "Take that uglies!" I sneered.

"Ratchet get the first aid kit, we're leaking energon like-WHOA!" Bulkhead had walked into the main room, with Bee and Cliff not too far behind him. The exclamation was because he was suddenly swarmed by the Scraplets that I hadn't taken out yet. The bots began shooting at the offending vermin while the other kids grabbed weapons to whack them off. I continued to try and freeze them until finally all of them were down. "Holy crap, please tell me we got them all?" I begged as I tried to catch my breath.

The sound of tinkering feet was heard down the hall, giving me my answer. "These were just the scouts." Ratchet informed us wearily. Great. Just freaking great. Bulkhead asked if that meant the rest of them knew where we were, though it was obvious the question was rhetorical. "And if we allow ourselves to be their next meal, Optimus and Arcee may never make it home. We need to get the groundbridge operational. Then we can send them anywhere in the world."

"Like back to the Arctic? Like you said, the extreme cold sends them straight into stasis mode, and that was while they were in the egg pod thing. I bet if they're completely exposed, it would kill them instantly." I suggested.

"Given the body mass of the Scraplets, the subzero temperature should freeze them on contact. So think Ratchet, think! If the groundbridge is down, there must be a breach in the energon fuel line!" Ratchet exclaimed, looking hopeful that he had found the answer.

"If we weren't breaching, one of us could get back over there and fix it." Cliff jumper muttered, looking worse for wear. I walked over to my guardian and gave him a look that he knew was me asking if he was alright. Cliff just nodded with a worn out smile on his face.

"Well where is this breach?" I asked, with Raf asking how we could fix it. After all, the Scraplets wouldn't mess with us, we were humans. Ratchet looked between the four of us and I knew he was unsure. But he didn't have much choice. So he quickly explained to us about where it was and how we could fix it. "I'll remain behind and watch the bots in case they come back before you're finished." I volunteered.

The three human children nodded at me before grabbing a tool kit and heading in the direction Ratchet told them to go in. I walked over to Ratchet and he offered me a hand. All four Autobots were sitting down, looking worse for wear. I really hoped that they could get the groundbridge up. The bots might not survive another swarm attack.

"So if we get… when we get the groundbridge open, do we send creepy crawlies out? Or bring our bots in?" Bulkhead asked, bringing up something that I hadn't even thought about. No doubt Optimus and Arcee were almost out of time.

"Wouldn't Optimus and Arcee just be in danger if we brought them in first? They would be weak and easy prey for the Scraplets. It would be impossible to get them out." I wondered aloud. Ratchet agreed with me. "We would need bait."

"Where would we get bait? The Scraplets have already helped themselves into everything in here!" Bulkhead shouted, frustration and fear evident in his voice. I looked around for something that could be used but came up short. The Scraplets like living metal, one of the bots would need to draw them out and through the groundbridge.

I heard the telltale sound of approaching Scraplets and looked up to see them swarming. I gasped, swearing to myself in fear. Luckily, it was at that moment that Jack, Miko, and Raf decided to reenter the room, giving Ratchet the go ahead to start up the ground bridge.

Ratchet deposited me back on the ground before dragging himself to his feet and towards the groundbridge control. He collapsed once more after pulling the lever, turning the bridge on. "Someone needs to get their attention and go through the groundbridge!" I shouted at the other three bots.

They each exchanged looks before Bulkhead stood up, muttering something about being bait, and yelling at the Scraplets to come and get him. The Scraplets chased after him into the groundbridge, all of them disappearing on the other side. Everyone collectively breathed a sigh of relief. Then we watched the portal, hoping that three of our bots would soon enter.

After a minute or so, everyone was able to relax as Bulkhead, Optimus, and Arcee all walked in. They looked awful, but they were alive and that was all that truly mattered. All of our new Autobot friends survived. "So… who's in charge of clean up?" I asked as the lights flickered. Everyone looked around at the hundreds of Scraplet bodies and everyone but Prime, Arcee, and Ratchet started laughing at the ridiculousness of the situation.

XxRebelWriterxX

Once the base was mostly cleaned up, Ratchet had all the bots sit down in the medbay so that they could be looked over. All of the children were doing their part to help patch up their guardians. Ratchet gave us each orders and we followed them as he said, giving him the all good for each of their bots.

"Perhaps you should get some rest yourself, old friend. You saved quite a few lives today." Optimus suggested to Ratchet. I agreed with Optimus, letting Ratchet know just how much we all appreciated him.

"It wasn't all my doing. We were just fortunate enough this infestation happened on a Saturday." Ratchet conveyed with a proud smile. He looked at each one of us, but his gaze seemed to linger on me. I held it as well, feeling warm inside from the intensity of his stare.

I heard Cliffjumper snickering and broke our little staring contest to glare at him. He winked at me before indicating that he and I were going to have a chat soon. I wondered what it was and if it had anything to do with the weird things that kept happening between me and the Autobot medic. Nah… it couldn't be.

Right?

"Our human friends may be small, but they are strong." Optimus praised and I don't think I'm the only one who blushed in embarrassment. Getting a compliment from the big guy himself was pretty amazing.

Miko suddenly shrieked, startling everyone and instantly putting us on red alert. "Scraplet?" Jack, Raf, and I asked at the same time, all three of us grabbing crowbars. We got into a fighting position and looked around the room for any threat. "Spider!" Miko squealed. "Is it on me? Oh oh oh oh!" She took off down the hall. We all watched her go in bemusement.

"Did she just scream like a little girl?" Bulkhead asked. Cliff and I both laughed at that. "Bulk we all heard you screaming earlier. You have no room to talk." I teased him.

While everyone talked among themselves, I walked over to Ratchet. He had begun working on repairing the damage left by the Scraplets. "Hey Ratch, need a hand?" I offered. Ratchet smiled gratefully at me and offered a hand so that he could bring me up close.

"Be careful and do what I tell you to do. One wrong move and this thing will zap you. And believe me, it'll be more than just a tickle." Ratchet warned me before we got to work. I had to admit though, working with him was actually kind of fun. Ratchet wasn't really one for small talk, but I got him to open up a little bit. "What made you want to be a medic?" I asked him at one point.

"The war was already growing strong when I decided to go into medical training. Good bots were dying all around me and I felt so useless being unable to save them. I was a well enough warrior but I wanted to do more. When I got the opportunity to train as a medic, I took it. And I have never regretted that decision. " Ratchet explained to me. "What made you want to go into the human medical profession?"

"I had a pretty difficult childhood. I spent most of my teen years relying on people who didn't want to take care of me. They saw me as a lost cause and never gave me the chance. If I can save one kid from that kind of hell, well then, it'll all be worth it. " I didn't hadn't gone into much detail about my past with anyone but Cliff. Ratchet was my mentor and friend, but Cliff was my guardian. Perhaps one day I would trust everyone enough with the truth, but right now my secrets were my own.

"I'm sorry your childhood was badt. However, I know you will make an excellent doctor one day. And you've come very far in your training with me. Perhaps one day you will be a medic for both human _and_ Cybertronian. " Ratchet replied confidently. I blushed at his praise. Twice in one day, must be a new record.

I turned around to look at my friend. "Ratchet?" He looked down at me questioningly. "Thank you. For teaching me about Cybertronians and believing in me. You have no idea how grateful I am for you and the other Autobots."

"Of course, Jessica. I will always be here for you." He assured me and once more we were locked in a staring contest. I wasn't sure what it was about hid optics, but I could stare into them all day.

Laughter from the others was what broke our spell. I felt my face burn and I quickly turn back to my work. My stomach felt as if there were a thousand butterflies fluttering around and causing chaos. I decided not to think about it too much. There was much too be done and I couldn't let myself get distracted. Still I wondered why I got all goofy and gooey whenever I was around Ratchet. And what exactly did our future hold.

 **Alright next chapter is done and I am going to bed. Night everyone!**

 **I meant to get this chapter out sooner, but I wanted to work on chapter sixteen first. Unfortunately, I've been struggling with it so i decided what the hell, lets just post chapter seven! Hopefully I'll be able to get it done soon. Hope you guys loved it! See you next chapter!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Alright we've made it to chapter eight! I had to push myself to write this. I'm bound determine to finish this series so that you guys can read this in its entirety. I love writing so much and I'm determined not to give it up. Everyone enjoy the new chapter!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own anything. Except Jessica. She's mine. And her parents. They mine too. Everything is not.**

 **Chapter Eight:**

I jumped out of the way as a giant metal fist came at me, somersaulting as I went. Quickly, I turned back to the threat, preparing myself for their next move. A sword that was at least three times the size of myself came at me this time. My knees fell forward and I bent my back towards the ground, the blade missing me by a hair's breadth.

I shot up running towards the threat, zig zagging around to avoid the attacks it sent at me. Then I ran underneath it and away to safety. The ringing of a bell indicated the end of the fight and I collapsed unto the mat, attempting to catch my breath.

"Good job. You managed to get passed me for once." Cliffjumper's voice rang out. I looked over at my guardian, who was just the threat that I had been fighting, and rolled my eyes. I resisted the urge to flip him off, knowing that would just make him laugh. About a week ago, Cliff had noticed a fight breaking out between a couple of drunk humans. One of them flipped the other off, sending the receiver into a fit of rage. Cliff asked me what the gesture meant and was thoroughly amused when I explained it.

"Yeah, yeah." I pushed myself back up and walked over to the bench where my water bottle was sitting. I took a long drink before setting it back down. "You are fast though. My senses may be dialed to like eleven now, but I'm still working on using that in a fight. I can anticipate your moves, but I have problems with getting that information to the rest of my body so I can move the right way."

I'd been training with Cliff for about a week now. He was actually a pretty great teacher. Fighting with an Autobot was different than fighting with humans. You had to use your brain more. Being creative was important. With their incredible size difference, you needed to be prepared to do things you never had to do with humans.

The first day hadn't been that great. Cliff, of course, never actually touched me. However, if he had been a Con with the intent to kill, I have no doubts I would be dead. Now I understood why Optimus pushed for me to have training before I went out on missions with them.

I grabbed a towel and wiped some of the sweat from my forehead. Since joining the Autobots, I had lost nearly twenty pounds. I hadn't necessarily been overweight before, but I also wasn't as physically fit as I was now. My stomach was now lean and flat and I had abs. Like actual abs. _That_ was weird for the pizza-loving, junk and soda kinda girl that I was. Still, my metabolism burnt out calories faster than I could intake them. Ratchet worried that that could have a negative effect on me, but I've never felt healthier.

My strength was something to behold as well. Everyday it seemed like I could lift more and more weight. Right now I was at a whopping 400 pounds. Ratchet believed that if I kept getting stronger, then one day I might even be strong enough to do some serious damage to the Decepticons. Now that was an interesting thought.

I also had other weird "abilities". I could jump to incredible heights. I've managed to jump from the first level of the silo, to the second level landing where we had our couch and tv set up at. Running wasn't a problem for me either. My endurance was insane. Ratchet wanted to see how long I could go one day and I literally ran on a treadmill for _six hours_ at 30 miles per hour without breaking a single sweat.. I think doc might've blown a gasket at that.

My point is, I was practically inhuman when it came to my new abilities. Ratchet also believes that the Allspark was regenerating new skin cells at an impressive rate. With my healing abilities, he thinks that I could live a very long time. I had to sit down when he told me that. I was practically immortal, I would outlive everyone I knew and loved here on Earth.

I had so many questions. Like why did the Allspark and Primus himself choose me to harness these incredible powers? I hadn't told anyone about my conversation with Primus because I still couldn't wrap my head around his words. What exactly was it that he had in mind for me? What did my future hold? Could I really do what they needed me to do? These questions constantly haunted me.

"Ratchet wants us to clean up the training room today as part of our 'chores'. We might as well do it now so we can enjoy the rest of our day." Cliffjumper informed me, much to my displeasure. Unfortunately being part of Team Prime meant sharing the responsibilities of keeping the Silo clean. I may be some weird, super powered girl now, but I was still as lazy as I had been before when it came to cleaning.

However, nothing was scarier than an angry Ratchet. "Fine, but I need a shower first. Give me ten minutes." I finally relented. Cliff saluted me and I went into the locker room. Since this place had once been base for humans, there was a human sized locker room as well as the Autobot sized one. Pretty neat if you think about it.

After a quick shower and change of clothes, I walked back into the training room where Cliff was already getting to work. I sighed and grabbed a broom, beginning the long process of sweeping up the very large room.

XxRebelWriterxX

When we finally finished, Cliff and I went to the main room. Bulkhead and Miko were entering at the same time, Jack, Arcee, Bee and Raf were already there. I waved at my friends and climbed up the stairs to join Jack on the second level.

"Alright chores are done, now can we do some dune bashing?" Miko was asking her guardian. Bulkhead did not seem very thrilled by the idea however. "I don't know Miko, last time I spent a week picking sand out of my articulators." Bulk grimaced, however, when we saw Miko wilt in disappointment, he quickly added, "Uh, but there's a monster truck rally in town."

That perked her up.

"Optimus, I'm receiving a signal on a restricted band. It appears to be coming from a starship inside this solar system." Ratchet announced. I left Jacks side to stand at the railing by Ratchet's head. He was typing something into the computer when something he saw made him gasp. "It's an Autobot identification beacon."

My thoughts immediately jumped to First Aid. Had he finally woken from stasis and made it to Earth, like I had told him too? I hadn't seen him in my dreams in quite some time so I didn't know what had happened to the young bot. "So there are other bot's out there?" Jack asked, breaking me away from my thoughts.

"The masses scattered throughout the galaxies when Cybertron finally went dark, but Cons have been known to bait traps with false beacons." Arcee explained.

Optimus walked over to join Ratchet, and the medic patched him through to the unidentified ship. "Unknown vessel, this is Autobot Outpost Omega One. Identify yourself." He spoke, his voice oozing authority.

" _I've had warmer welcomes from Decepticon Combat Brigades."_

Bulkhead's eyes widened when we got the reply. "Wheeljack?" Bulkhead exclaimed, looking more excited than I had ever seen him. Miko had to cling to his shoulder when he moved around a little too quickly. "You old Con Crusher! What are you doing all the way out here?"

" _Bulkhead? That you? What's with all the security?"_

"The rock we're on is crawling with Cons. How soon can you get here and even the odds?" Bulk asked the mysterious new bot.

" _Sometime tomorrow… if I put metal to the pedal. You got medical there? I recently rescued a couple bots from a Con ship a few galaxies back. They're in serious need of some help."_

"Yeah we got the best field medic there was back on Cybertron. Just get here as soon as you can."

" _Will do."_

Miko looked pretty excited at the thought of more Autobots on their way. "More bots coming here, how cool is that!" She grinned and Bulkhead quickly agreed with her.

Optimus looked thoughtful. "Wheeljack… I know him by reputation only. Can you verify his voice print?" Bulkhead assured him that he was indeed the real deal. "We will send landing coordinates, Wheeljack. Safe journey."

"See you soon buddy! I will make sure you get a proper welcome!" Bulkhead promised before Ratchet shut down the transmission. I wondered who the other bots that Wheeljack had with him were. Hopefully they weren't too hurt. I knew we were running low on Energon and I feared that if the damage was really bad, it could deplete the storage completely. Neither Optimus nor Ratchet would turn away wounded Autobots though.

"So who's the boyfriend?" Arcee and Cliffjumper asked at the same time, amused smiles on their faces. Bulkhead chuckled. "Oh me and Jackie go way back. We were part of the same warrior unit, The Wreckers. Which means the Cons will wish he had never found us."

The rest of the day was spent with everyone talking among themselves. I spent the time talking to Ratchet. He was probably my favorite person to talk to. Learning about Cybertronians from him was honestly the most fascinating thing in the world. Today we were discussing sparks and how they were essentially equivalent to a human soul in a way.

"A spark is the lifeforce a Cybertronian. Each one is part of the essence of Primus himself. The spark is a physical entity which is safeguarded inside a Cybertronians' Spark Chamber. If something harms the spark beyond repair it is "extinguished" returning to the Well of Spark, which is kind of like your Heaven. A Cybertronian is able to survive an enormous amount of physical damage because as long as the spark is somehow intact, it is possible to repair or rebuild the body." Ratchet was explaining to me.

We were sitting in the medbay, the room where most of our lessons were held. It was quieter in here than the front area. I was listening to him with rapt attention. "So essentially, a spark is like your heart and your soul all in one?" I asked him.

Ratchet nodded. "That is correct. Sparks are able to be combined to create bonds between Cybertronians. For example, a couple may choose to be sparkbonded to one another. It's like when you humans get married. However, there is no such thing as divorce. When Cybertronians bond, they bond for life. It is ritual that hasn't been used much since the start of the war."

"Why not?"

"Bonding with another Spark will tie you to the other Cybertronian. You will feel their emotion, hear their thoughts. You will become one. However, it isn't all pleasant. You can also feel their pain. Imagine, in the middle of war, your Sparkmate gets captured and tortured by the enemy. You will feel every slice of the blade. It's possible to close the bonds, but it is nearly impossible to keep it closed under so much duress. If your Sparkmate perishes, well, the pain you feel will be so excruciating that you will beg for death as well. Many bots got themselves killed intentionally because they couldn't handle living without their loved ones.

"However, it is also possible to be so far from your bonded that you cannot feel them. If one Sparkmate is located several light years away, the bond will be faded, nearly impossible to detect. You will know they are still alive, but that is it. Optimus feels that pain every single day." Ratchet concluded and I had to withhold a gasp.

"Optimus has a Sparkmate?"

Ratchet nodded sullenly. "Elita-One is her name. She is also Arcee's sister. Arcee is one of three triplets. Their third sister is a femme known as Chromia. That brings me to the next type of bonds, sibling bonds. Siblings are not the same as they are here on Earth. While it is possible for Cybertronians to share creators, it isn't common. Sibling bonds are usually formed between Cybertronians who care about one another so much, they reach out for one anothers spark. Arcee, Elita, and Chromia were apart of a female strike team at the beginning of the war together. They endured much, but managed to survive together. Forming a bond with one another is the one thing that helped them make it through."

"So sibling bonds are pretty powerful then? Will a Cybertronian feel the same kind of pain if they lose a sibling as they would a Sparkmate?"

Ratchet shook his head. "Don't get me wrong, it is still very painful. You feel the same connection as you would a Sparkmate. However, it is not nearly as strong. To create a sparkbond with a Sparkmate, a bot must join together their sparks. They join their _souls_ together to become one. Sibling bonds are much simpler and easier to create. They are great for comfort when all seems dark, but a Cybertronian can live on.

"However, losing a twin is another matter. Very rarely, a Cybertronian will carry a spark that will split into two. These two Cybertronians will be twins and it's essentially like having a sibling bond _and_ a sparkmate bond, without the romance of course. Twins may have their own Sparkmate if they choose. But losing a twin will most likely kill the other as well. They share a spark, so they have a powerful connection."

I let all of this new information sink in. Cybertronians were so much like people, and yet so different. "Do you know any twins?" I asked him curiously. Ratchet immediately looked annoyed, much to my amusement. "Yes. Their names were Sunstreaker and Sideswipe. They were as irritating as they were arrogant. Both of them revelled in pulling pranks. I was relieved when they were moved to a different sector."

It was funny to imagine anyone pulling pranks on Ratchet. I would've loved to see that. The medic had always been pretty tightly wound. I couldn't blame him, of course. He been through and see so much destruction and death in his life. "Are there any other kinds of bonds?"

"There are bonds between a femme and mech creator and their sparkling. It is not often had Cybertronians are born though. Typically our life comes from the Allspark. A sparkling can only be born to a couple that has Sparkmated, for it is when they join sparks that a new life is created."

"And since no one really does that anymore because of the war, it's unlikely for one to be born." I concluded sadly. My eyes widen when I figured something out. "Wait, I contain the power of the Allspark, right? So is it possible for me to create new sparks?"

Ratchet looked thoughtful at my question. "I'm not sure. Besides your new physical abilities, you haven't shown any signs that would suggest you could wield the powers of the Allspark. Right now, it seems like your just a vessel."

I tried not to wince when he said that. It wasn't entirely true. I had brought Cliffjumper back from the dead. Somehow I was able to manipulate the energy that resided within me and bring my guardian back from the dead. I didn't know how I did it, or if I could even do it again. But it had happened and I have yet to tell anyone else but Cliff. I decided I needed to get the conversation away from my powers.

"Ratchet, would it be too forward, or inappropriate if I asked to see what your spark looked like? I'd understand if that is a deeply personal thing. I'm just curious." I asked him, my cheeks flaming. He seemed to study me for a minute, looking surprised at my query.

In the end though, he walked bent down so that his chassis was close to where I stood at on the berth. It opened up, revealing a chamber that glowed from the inside. I was completely mesmerized by that point and he hadn't even shown me the whole thing yet. The doors to his Spark Chamber opened, revealing the pulsing, blue light that made up his spark.

It was absolutely beautiful. I had to resist the urge to reach forward and touch it, knowing that that would be an intimate gesture. Instead, I admired how breathtaking the color and light truly was. This small bit of light was what made Ratchet, Ratchet. It made up his personality, it gave him _life._

I tore my eyes away from it to look into Ratchet's eyes. He was staring at me with an intensity that took what little breath I had left away. My heart sped up and my stomach fluttered. It was in that moment that I knew I had a crush on Ratchet.

Coming to that realization was like getting hit with a ton of bricks. I quickly looked away from him and down my feet. Ratchet stood back up and I heard the sliding sound that indicated he had closed off his spark once more. Neither one of us said a word as we tried to come to grips with the intensity of the moment we had just shared together.

The clunking sound of feet announced the arrival of my guardian. "Hey Jess, it's getting pretty late. Ready to head on out of here?" Cliff asked when he came into view.

"Y-yeah. Yeah I'm ready." I replied, my voice wavering slightly. Cliff must've noticed because his head tilted curiously. I climbed down the ladder that allowed me to climb off and on the medical berth. Once I was on the floor, I walked over to my friend. Cliffjumper offered me a hand and I climbed into it. When he straightened back up, I turned back to face Ratchet. His back was to us as he gathered his things to head back to the front. "Bye Ratchet, I'll see you tomorrow." I called out.

Ratchet turned to face us and I felt my face heating up once more. However, I refused to break eye contact with him. "Goodbye Jessica." His gaze followed us out of the room. When we were clear of the medical bay, Cliffjumper shot me a look. "You and I are about to have a serious conversation." He told me seriously.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. Yep, this was going to be interesting.

XxRebelWriterxX

I expected Cliffjumper to start questioning me the moment we pulled away from the base. My heart still hadn't slowed down since the staring contest I got into with Ratchet, the one where I realized that I had feelings for him. How was that even possible? Ratchet and I weren't even the same species. He was an alien… a _robotic_ alien. Who literally towered over me.

There was no way in Hell he would ever return my feelings. And even if he did, how exactly would that work? I mean, I get that love has no bounds, but only I would begin to develop feelings for someone who was so different from me.

I sighed and wondered what I was going to do. I've only ever had feelings for one other person in my life, and that was while I was still in the mental hospital so you can imagine how _that_ turned out.

"Penny for your thoughts?" Cliffs voice came through the radio, breaking the silence. He enjoyed using many different kinds of human sayings. I'm pretty sure he looked up an entire list of them online. I don't even know if he knew what a penny was or even if the Cybertronians had a form of currency.

But that's not what is important right now. I wasn't sure how exactly to put my feelings into words. I mean I did… but I don't know. It all sounded immature and silly. I have a crush on Ratchet. Me a human likes he a Cybertronian. It was weird. Some people might even say it's wrong. What would my parents say if I brought him home for dinner?

I needed to calm down. My thoughts were getting the better of me and I did not want to be super anxious when I got home. "It's hard to explain." I finally said.

"You know you can tell me anything, right?"

I couldn't help but wince we he said that. Yeah I knew I could tell Cliff anything, but I wasn't used to trusting someone as much as I trusted him. However much I trusted him though, there were some things I wanted to keep to myself. At least for now. "Cliffjumper, I trust you with my life. But right now, I'd rather keep this to myself. At least until I figure out exactly what _it_ is."

Cliff was quiet for the rest of the ride and I was afraid that I had offended him. He probably didn't understand how much I was used to keep things to myself. I've had to bury my feelings for so long, it was difficult to let them.

We pulled into my driveway but I didn't move. I needed to know that we were okay. Cliff knew I had secrets, hell I've told him plenty of mine. I just hoped this one thing wouldn't ruin the trust we had built up between one another. "You sure do like to keep your secrets, huh?" He finally asked and I relaxed at the playful tone in his voice.

"Yes. Yes I do. And you know why." I replied. Cliff hummed in agreement before opening his doors, signaling my time to go. "Goodnight Cliffjumper. I'll see you tomorrow." I waved goodbye to him as I walked towards the entrance of my house.

XxRebelWriterxX

The following morning, I was surprised when Bee was the one who picked me up. It was very rare that someone other than my guardian got me. When I got in, I asked Bee where he was after saying hi to Raf of course. Bee spoke to me in Cybertronian so of course I didn't understand. But Raf did.

"Bee said Cliff was on a mission. He doesn't know what for though. Apparently only Optimus knows where he's gone." Raf translated.

We drove the rest of the way in silence. When we got there, the others had already beaten us. Raf and I climbed of of Bee's vehicle mode so that he could transform. I tried not to look over at Ratchet, fearing that my warm cheeks would give me away. Luckily said mech was busy with whatever he was doing on the computers.

I joined Miko and Jack at the second floor landing, Raf not too far behind me. Miko was practically bouncing with excitement, much to my amusement. Arcee and Bulkhead were gathered around Ratchet, while Bee and Optimus stood back a bit. "They're approaching the landing zone." Arcee informed everyone, cause Miko to practically vibrate with glee.

"Do you think they're just here to visit, or will they be sticking around for a bit?" I asked aloud, not really directing the question at anybody. "Maybe they'll stay! They'll have to get their own humans though." Miko ended up being the one to reply to me. I laughed at the thought of more humans around. Ratchet would surely lose his mind if that happened.

Ratchet typed in the landing coordinates and turned on the groundbridge. "Groundbridge cycling up." He spoke as he flipped the lever. The groundbridge came on momentarily before sparking and shutting back down.

"Blasted Scraplets! The equipment hadn't been the same since the infestation." Ratchet grumbled as he tried to figure out what exactly was causing the problem this time.

"So they're going to land halfway around the world and then you'll bridge them here?" Jack was asking Optimus as we waited for Ratchet to get the bridge operational once more.

"We can't risk revealing the location of our base, just in case the Decepticons are tracking Wheeljack's ship." Optimus replied. That made sense. With Soundwave on their side, tracking really wasn't all that hard for the Cons. It's why we had to be extra careful.

Bulkhead was pacing around the silo, the largest grin on his face. Miko noted that she had never seen him look this stoked before. "Oh, you're gonna love Wheeljack! We're like brothers. And tonight, we're gonna party!" He exclaimed, punching his fist in the air. Mikos' face lit up and she cheered.

An alarm went off, alerting us to the fact that there were about five Decepticon ships closing in on Wheeljack's shop. "Fire it up, Ratchet, we're missing all the fun!" Bulkhead laughed and the bot mentioned did just that. This time it stayed open with no problems. "Sick bay is prepared for the injured Autobots." Ratchet informed them.

The bots all disappeared, except Ratchet of course. "So what do you think the new bots will be like?" I asked my friends. Ask of them shrugged. "Not even a guess?"

"I hope they're just like Bulkhead!" Miko grinned. Ratchet groaned at the thought and I tried not to laugh. He looked at me curiously and I quickly became fascinated with the floor, my cheeks heating up.

The groundbridge made a noise that signaled the return of the others. Bee and Bulkhead were both supporting two new Autobots. One of them was red and white and I recognized them instantly. I gasped at the sight of First Aid. He was here, actually here on Earth. This was crazy.

Ratchet recognized him as well. "First Aid!" He shouted and ran forward to help Bee with him. Bee struggled to support the unconscious form. The second bot was gold and while he looked weak, something about him told me he was extremely dangerous. Luckily he was knocked out so nothing to worry about. Bulkhead had ahold of him, but was having an easier time than Bee, which made sense. Bulk was pretty strong.

The third new bot to walk in had me on edge though. Something about him wasn't right. But how would I know anything? I'd never met him before. Him and the gold Cybertronian were a mystery to me. But I knew First Aid and I wondered if, when he woke up, would he's recognize me too? That would certainly put a dent in the whole 'I don't have any other abilities from the Allspark' thing that I had been going with. Ratchet would probably be pretty pissed off when he discovered that I had been lying to them.

After the two new bots were settled in the medbay, Bulkhead introduced Wheeljack to Miko. "Jackie, come over here. Meet my other best buddy, Miko. She can wreck with the best of us." He gestured to the meek looking Miko. Wheeljack kneeled down to get a better look at her. "You keeping Bulkhead out of trouble?" He asked her.

Miko shrugged. "I try but trouble finds us anyways."

"More like you find trouble, Miko." I snorted, much to her chagrin. "Hi, my name's Jessica. Nice to meet you."

Bulkhead grinned. "Jessica is pretty great too. She's older than the other three so she's training to help out on missions. This girl is pretty brave, she'd only just met us and had followed us into battle. We're still trying to figure out how she survived an Energon explosion."

I shrugged, blushing slightly in embarrassment. "I'm crafty?"

Both of them laughed at that, but thankfully they let it go. "I think we'll all get along just fine." Wheeljack winked at Miko and I. Then he turned to Optimus to greet him. "Optimus Prime. It's a privilege."

"Likewise, soldier. What have you to report from your long journey?" Optimus asked him. Wheeljack told him he'd been bouncing from rock to rock, searching for friend or foe. He'd found both here on Earth. "We are few but strong. We have suffered losses, but we have grown. And we would relish welcoming a new member into our fold."

"I would be honored."

"Then let's get this party started!" Bulkhead cheered, hitting Wheeljack on the back hard enough to cause him to stumble forward. Said mech turned around and they bumped chest. I laughed at the display but Ratchet (who had joined us after getting the other two bots settled into the medbay) was unamused. "Oh joy." He grumbled.

I walked over to him as Miko plugged in her guitar. "Hey Ratchet, how's our two new patients?"

"They suffered severe energon deprivation. Their injuries were pretty easy to fix so they should be fine. I have them hooked up to a couple energon lines so it's just a waiting game for them to wake up." He replied.

"That's good. I'm assuming you knew one of them since you said his name?"

Ratchet nodded, a smile on his face. "First Aid was one of my trainees during the war on Cybertron. He was a heck of a medic and having him on our team will be a great help. The other bot, however, might be a problem."

I noticed the look of displeasure on his face when he talked about the gold bot. Ratchet was pretty surly at times, but I've never seen him look this perturbed. "Who is he? I'm guessing you don't have that great a history with him?"

The Autobot medic smiled grimly. "We were actually just talking about him yesterday. That bot in there is Sunstreaker."

"Oh, no. So his twin…"

"Sideswipe isn't here. Sunstreaker has always been more short tempered, and down right nasty of the two. Sideswipe can usually keep him in check. Without his brother, I fear that Sunstreaker won't be the most… inviting." Ratchet explained. Great, just what we needed, an asshole. I get that he misses his brother, but I really hoped he wasn't too much of a nightmare.

"Well, he's probably going to love Miko then." I remarked, sarcasm clear in my voice. Ratchet huffed out a laugh. "I imagine those two will get along as well as fire and gasoline."

The sound of something crashing near us startled me and Ratchet. Some weird metal ball had crashed into the groundbridge lever, causing it to spark. "You know, I'm attempting to perform sensitive calibrations here!" Ratchet shouted irately.

"Sorry Doc, guess we're a little charged up." Wheeljack apologized as he picked the ball back up. "You built this bridge from scratch, huh?"

"I did." Ratchet replied curtly.

"That's quite a feat of engineering." Wheeljack remarked. I don't know why, but the way he said it had alarm bells ringing in my mind. Ratchet, however, was pretty proud of himself. "Something wrong with it?"

Ratchet explained that he didn't care for the way it sounded when they used it last so he put it in shutdown. I felt even more suspicious when Wheeljack asked him what he would do if they needed to use it. "Oooh, I can't interrupt the defrag process without causing irreparable damage." The medic explained. There was something in Wheeljack's optics that unnerved me. When he asked how long the defrag would take, I definitely knew something was up.

After Wheeljack walked away, I joined Ratchet once more. "Did you see the looks he was giving you? Something's not right about Wheeljack." I whispered, hoping he wouldn't overhear me. Cybertronians had super hearing. Mine was pretty great since the Allspark energy in me began making changes.

"Nothing seemed out of the ordinary to me. Perhaps you were imagining it?" Ratchet replied, not looking up from his work. I shot him an irritated glare. I decided that Ratchet wasn't going to be much help so I walked away to join the others. Bulkhead was telling them a story.

"So there we were, no communications, low on energon, surrounded by Cons. Do you know what Wheeljack does?" Bulkhead asked the other three humans. All three of them were listening in wide eye interest. "Tell them, Jackie!" Wheeljack laughs and just says what he did best. "He chucked his only grenade smack into the main heat exchanger."

"Seemed like a good idea at the time." Wheeljack shrugged.

"The joint went supernova! I'm still picking shrapnel out of my backside." Bulkhead grinned, scratching behind him. Arcee decided to tease him, saying she wasn't surprised given the size of his backside. "There it is, Jackie's signature. One grenade, one shot. Hey, you alright?" Bulkhead aimed the last question to a quiet Wheeljack.

"What?" Wheeljack asked, blinking in surprise. Bulkhead pointed out that he didn't seem like himself. "What do you mean?" Wheeljack demanded, standing up defensively. Huh. Very suspicious. Bulk said that he seemed quiet. "I've been stuck in a can too long. I should go topside before I go stir-crazy."

When Bulkhead offered to take him on patrol in the morning, Wheeljack asked if they could go now. "Ad break up the party? Come on! The gangs loving you! You've gotta tell them about the Battle of Dark Mount Pass!"

"You tell them, you're better at it. How about if Miko here shows me the rest of the base?"

"Yeah, sure Jackie, go ahead." Bulkhead agreed, looking disappointed and kind of suspicious. Miko lead Wheeljack away, shooting off multiple question as they walked. Arcee noticed that Bulkhead seemed down and asked if everything was alright. "Yeah, just out of sorts, I guess." Arcee then asked him if he was jealous. "That Miko's making a new friend? Come on! Something… something is not right about Wheeljack."

I stepped forward. "He was giving Ratchet some pretty weird looks and asking all kinds of questions about the groundbridge. I've been getting a weird vibe from him since the moment he entered the base." I interjected, confirming Bulkheads suspicions.

"Really guys? He travelled galaxies. Bulkhead, you haven't seen him for centuries and Jessica you've never met him before. He could be rocket lagged or bots do change you know?" Arcee tried to pacify us.

"Not Jackie."

Miko and Wheeljack walked back into the main room. "Hey. What are you guys talking about?" Wheeljack asked.

"I was just telling all of them about you and me… at the Battle of Dark Mount Pass." Bulkhead replied and Wheeljack mentioned how that was one heck of a story. "Yeah. Tell it." He demanded the other Mech.

"Talk, talk talk! How about _after_ we go off-riding?" Miko suggested and Bulkhead warned her to stay out of it. Arcee told he to be easy, but Wheeljack tried to say he wasn't sure about something, but Bulkhead interrupted him. "Tell it!"

"Fine, if you want to live in the past, Bulkhead." Wheeljack sneered coldly. "The Wreckers were trapped between a Decepticon patrol and a smelting pit. The Cons were vicious, bearing down on us with everything they had. Me and Bulkhead engaged the enemy, left they for scrap. Then I made us a way out using their backsides as stepping stones to cross the molten metal. Isn't that how it happened?" Wheeljack asked, looking smug,

"Yeah that's exactly what happened. Except for one little thing… I wasn't there." Bulkhead openly glared now. Ratchet stopped what he was doing and glanced up at him in surprise. "I'd already left the Wreckers to join up with Optimus. But you wouldn't know that if all you did was access Wheeljack's public service record."

Wheel glared heatedly at him before reaching down to snatch up me and Miko. I squeaked in surprise and shot Ratchet a fearful look. "Stand back! Or I'll crush them" He warned, squeezing us a little to prove it. I winced in pain. "Wheeljack! What are you doing!" Miko protested and I informed her that this wasn't Wheeljack. He snarled at us to shut up and squeezed once more. "Ow!" I yelped, tears springing to my eyes.

Ratchet looked absolutely murderous. He alternated between shooting me worried looks and glaring at the Wheeljack imposter with hatred. "Let the girls go and face us!" Bulkhead sneered and the fake Wheeljack grinned and, using his real voice, promised there was plenty of fighting to come. "Where's the real Wheeljack?"

"Oh, I expect Lord Starscream has been making sport of him." Imposter guy smirked. Then he turned to face Ratchet. "Keep working on that groundbridge, I'm already behind on schedule. Hurry or I'll crush you're little pets into dust." He squeezed harder once more and I couldn't help but cry out in pain. Ratchet's optics widened and I saw the pain he had in them. "DO IT!"

Tears were now making trails down my face. He squeezed me one more time and I gasped for breath, feeling my ribs crack. Ratchet gave in, working quickly to get the bridge up and running. Ratchet finished not even five minutes later. "About time!" The imposter smirked. He threw Miko over to Bulkhead, who caught her with ease. Then he out the coordinates in that he needed and pulled the lever "Here, you can keep this insect. However, Lord Starscream has taken an interest in this one. She'll be coming with me. Let's get this party started."

"Ratchet!" I yelled fearfully and he stepped forward, reaching for me. Imposter guy pulled me further behind him and squeezed once more. "Ahh!" I nearly screamed.

"Don't even think about it. Like I said, she's coming wi-" He didn't get to finish his sentence when something slammed into him. I was thrown from his fist. Ratchet dove forward and caught me before I could hit the ground, the brought me close to his spark. I quickly took in deep breaths of air. "Are you alright?" Ratchet asked me frantically and I nodded my affirmation.

I looked up to see a second Wheeljack now. "I'd close that before you let the stink in." He warned and somehow I knew this was the real Wheeljack. Ratchet used his free hand to shut the groundbridge off. Then the two Wheeljack's faced off. "Uglies mine." The real Wrecker growled, mouth guard falling into place.

My vision was getting blurry and I could barely pay attention to the fight. "R-Ratchet, I d-don't feel so g-g-good." I mumbled, black dots appearing in front of my eyes. I heard Ratchet calling my name, but everything sounded so far away. I finally gave in, slipping into the dark void of unconsciousness.

XxRebelWriterxX

I woke up some time later in the medbay. Despite nearly being crushed to death, I felt pretty good. I knew it was thanks to my super healing. My ribs were completely healed, which was definitely a relief. I wouldn't even know where to begin if I had to explain broken ribs.

I looked to my right and was surprised to see my guardian sitting there. He was staring into space, oblivious to the fact that I was awake now. I grinned, happy to see him again. When you've seen someone everyday for basically two months, it's a little weird not seeing them for one. "Howdy partner." I spoke, my voice sounded raspy. I needed some water bad. "Got any water?"

Cliff looked down at me and smiled with relief. "You're awake, finally. It's been nearly two days since I got the message that you had been injured."

"What!" I shrieked, throwing the blankets off me and jumping out of bed. "Holy shit, my parents are going to kill me! They probably thinking I'm bleeding out somewhere, what are reason would I have for disappearing for _two days!_ "

"Whoa, whoa, calm down. Agent Fowler already informed your parents that you were going on a some kind of training retreat with him. They're not expecting you home for another three days." Cliff assured me. I paused, before meekly grinning at my friend. "Oh okay… thats good. Sorry, my parents are just super overprotective."

Cliff nodded in understanding. He'd briefly met my parents once in his holoform. They insisted on meeting the gentleman who was always picking me up. Cliff had been perfectly nice to them, but my dad had asked him a million questions.

I then noticed that the other two bots who had been in the medbay were no longer here. "Did First Aid and Sunstreaker wake up?" I asked him curiously.

Cliff frowned, looking super frustrated. "Yeah, they woke up yesterday. Sunstreaker has already been causing trouble for himself. He wasn't a big fan of the 'fleshies', as he's deemed you guys as. Both Bulkhead and Arcee nearly thrashed him when he threatened Miko and Jack. He's locked away in one of the back room until he can learn to control himself. First Aid has mostly stuck to Ratchet's side."

"Oh." I tried not to show any emotions. On the inside though, I was wondering if First Aid had told Ratchet he recognized me. That was when the two mentioned mech had chosen that moment to walk in. Ratchet had a relieved smile on his face when he saw that I had woken up. "Jessica, you gave us quite the scare." He informed me before scanning me. "Everything looks perfectly normal now… well, normal by your standards at least."

"Ratchet told me you had the power of the Allspark in you? That's as incredible as it is unbelievable." First Aid spoke up, showing absolutely zero signs that he recognized who I was. Maybe he didn't remember those dreams?

"Yeah it is. But hey, something weird is going on. I just healed from having cracked ribs in under two days! That's not possible for any human." I chuckled. Ratchet shook his head. "Your ribs had completely broken when Makeshift squeezed you. You are very lucky he didn't puncture your ribs."

"Ouch." I winced. "No wonder it hurt so much."

"Indeed. I guess healing took all your strength and that's why you were out for so long. I can't be entirely sure, of course. You are an anomaly." Ratchet theoralized and I supposed that made sense. "I still advise that you take it easy the next three days before returning home. I want to make sure you're completely healed.

"I feel fine, Ratchet." I assured him, but crawled back into the bed anyways.

"Get some sleep, partner. We have a lot to talk about when you wake up." Cliffjumper had stood up and joined Ratchet and First Aid's side to leave the room. I yawned, already feeling tired despite having just woke up from a two day nap. They turned the lights back out and left the room.

Wait. What did he mean we have a lot to talk about?

 **Wow this chapter ended up being super long! I kept diving into other topics outside of the episode so it just steadily got longer and longer! I'm just glad I haven't lost my writing ability after not writing for so long! Next episode should be fun though! See y'all soon enough!**

 **I decided to post two chapters to make up for the time in between six and seven. I'm not sure when I'll post the next one, it just all depends on when I'll start writing sixteen. See y'all soon!**


	9. Chapter 9

**And we are back for Chapter Nine! Things will be getting interesting soon for our dear Jessica, next chapter especially. But we gotta get through this chapter first. We got a couple new Autobots to introduce to the story line. Hope y'all enjoy it!**

 **Disclaimer: I have absolutely zero rights to any written in here. I own Jessica. That's it. Enjoy!**

 **Chapter Nine:**

When I woke up next, it was to an empty room. I threw the covers off of me and climbed down the ladder that would take me to the floor. The human sized beds were located on one of the Autobot Berths. So it was a bit of a climb to get to. It made it easier for Ratchet to check up on us if we got hurt.

I walked out of the medbay and towards the front of the silo. The lights were down, indicating that it was probably later at night. One look at my phone, which had been in my pocket, told me that it was just after three in the morning. That meant none of the humans would be here and that meant most of the bots would be standing guard at their houses. There wouldn't be many bots hanging around at this time of night.

Cybertronians needed to get recharge just like humans needed to sleep. They didn't require nearly as much as we did, but if they didn't get a little, their systems would get sluggish before eventually shutting down altogether. That was one of the many things Ratchet had me read on a datapad.

Arriving to the main room, I realized there was only one bot hanging out that early, and it just so happened to be Ratchet. "Hey Ratchet." I announced myself in greeting. Ratchet turned around to face me, stopping whatever it was he was doing on the computer.

"Jessica, I see you're awake." He spoke cooly. I was surprised by his tone, it had been awhile since he had sounded like that around me. I was probably the human he liked the most, and I considered us to be friends. However, at that moment, Ratchet was looking anything but friendly as he stared at me expressionlessly.

"Uh, yeah. Is… Is everything alright?" I asked him.

Ratchet glared at me, looking disappointed. "Nothing, I just thought you had more respect for me is all. Upon waking, First Aid recognized you. He says the two of you had communicated in a shared dream. Twice. And then, I managed to get the truth from Cliffjumper that you had been the one to bring him back to life. I had my suspicions but I hoped you would have trusted me enough to tell me. But you never did, you choose to lie to me instead."

I looked down at the ground, feeling shameful at the hint of betrayal in his voice. I knew it was possible that First Aid would recognize me, but I hadn't thought of the repercussions of keeping my strange powers to myself. I also felt slightly bitter towards Cliff, though I had no right too. Ratchet was like family to him, after all. "I'm sorry, Ratchet. I just needed some time to figure out what was happening to me. I was afraid. I barely knew you guys when I saved Cliff's life and I was afraid you'd turn me into some kind of science experiment. And truthfully, I wasn't even sure if the dreams had actually been real until First Aid was carried in here." I attempted to explain myself, but even I had to admit that my reasons were poor.

"I understand that you might have felt that way then, but why did you keep this to yourself for _two months_!?"

Tears sprang to my eyes and I shrugged helplessly. "You've got to understand, I've _never_ been able to trust anyone. Not since the incident happened. My only thoughts were to protect myself. You guys already knew so much, but you didn't know that my powers went beyond physical improvement. A part of me knew I could trust you guys, but my subconscious fears prevented me from saying anything."

Ratchet slammed a fist on the console of the computer. "That's not good enough! We have been working together. I have given you information about my people, information that we haven't even shared with your human government. I have never kept something important from you, despite the fact that you a civilian. You are basically a toddler compared to my people. But I trusted you. Optimus trusted you. And you broke that trust."

"It's _MY_ life that being affected here, dammit! I'm the one who's got these freaky powers, powers that I don't even fucking understand." I reached up and bunched my hair in my fist, breathing heavily in frustration. "I don't know what I'm doing, Ratchet. I'm just a small, insignificant human! Why do I have powers that allow me to bring your people back from the dead? Or communicate with Cybertronians that are several fucking lightyears away? What else can I do? How could the Decepticons use this power should they ever find out? I don't know! And it scares the living shit out of me."

Tears were now streaming freely down my face. I knew this was more than just keeping secrets from him. Ratchet felt like I had broken his trust. It was obvious that he had feelings for me as I did for him. Knowing that I hurt the bot that I was falling in love with left me feeling completely heart broken.

"I understand that your afraid, Jessica. But this is about more than just you. My entire race could be affected by the powers you possess. You might even be the key to restoring Cybertron, to keeping my people from extinction." Ratchet finally said after a moment of silence. He sounded so broken in that moment.

"I'm sorry, but I never wanted to be some pawn in your war."

Ratchet didn't say anything to that and I refused to look at him. I knew my words cut even deeper than the lack of before. But it was too late to take them back. "I see." Was all he said before looking away from me.

Something had changed between the two of us in that moment and I was afraid I might have just ruined whatever might have happened with us in the future. I stood by what I said, however. I didn't want to be the key to winning their war. I was an average, twenty-one year old girl who had seen so much shit in my life already.

I wasn't ready or prepared to help them. Nor was I even willing. Did that make me a bad person? Maybe. But it was how I felt.

The clanking of Cybertronian feet alerted us to someone new entering the room. I looked up and saw Cliff. "Is everything alright in here?" He asked, his optics narrowing when he noticed the tear trails on my cheeks. Ratchet walked away, refusing to look at either of us as he walked past Cliffjumper. He turned to face me. "Jess?"

A sob built up in my throat and I collapsed on the floor. I buried my face in my knees and began weeping loudly. Cliff quickly walked over to me. His holoform flickered into existence and he took me into his arms. I turned to face him and buried my face in chest. My tears began soaking through his shirt. Cliff hugged me close, resting his chin on my head and rubbing soothing circles on my back.

I just couldn't get the look of utter pain and betrayal in Ratchets optics. I had hurt someone I truly cared about because of my inability to trust anyone. Why was I so fucked up that I pushed away the people that mattered the most? "He h-h-hates me n-now, doesn't h-he." I whispered between sobs.

"Of course not, partner. Ratchet's just upset. He'll get over it in time." Cliff tried to assure me, but it didn't help much. I lied to him and that hurt him. "I lied to him too, sweetspark. Just give it time. Ratchet's not one to hold grudges."

"B-but Cliff, I-I think I l-l-love him!" My voice cracked when I finally admitted this, not only to him, but to myself as well.

Cliff gave no indication that he was surprised by my admission. Instead, his hold tightened to comfort me. "I know." He whispered much to my surprise. He smiled sadly at me. "The looks between the two of you were pretty obvious. I was hoping you would have told me the other day, but I wasn't going to push it. It's pretty obvious that both of you have strong feelings for one another." Cliffjumper kissed the top of my head, a human gesture that I was surprised he'd picked up on. "That's how I know Ratchet will forgive you though. He cares about you very much, he just needs time to process."

"You really think he'll forgive me?"

"I know he will. Now come on, wipe those pretty optics- err, eyes, of yours and give me a smile." Cliff leaned back, encouraging me with a smile. I reached up and wiped the tears from my eyes and smile at Cliff, appreciatively. "That's my girl."

I giggled before reaching towards him and pulling him in for another hug. "Thanks Cliff, you're the best." He hugged me back just as tightly. When I finally released him, his holoform blinked away. Cliffjumpers real body offered me a hand and I climbed into it. Then I yawned, my eyes feeling heavy once more. "God, why am I still so tired. I've slept for like a week now." I groaned and Cliff laughed.

"It's only been three days and you were nearly squished to death. Come on, you can recharge with me in my room. I have a feeling you don't want to be alone." Cliff beamed and I quickly nodded in agreement. I had a bed set up in his room as well. I didn't use it very often, but sometimes it was nice to be near my guardian and best friend.

Cliff set me down close to my bed. "Get some sleep, partner. Tomorrow you'll be doing some more training." He winked and I resisted the urge to groan. He laughed. "Hey, you've had a three day vacation. Time to get back to work."

"S'not my fault I was unconscious." I muttered as I crawled into bed and wrapped myself in the blanket. I was out almost instantly.

XxRebelWriterxX

Later that day, I was sitting on the couch in the front of the silo, lost in my thoughts. The children still hadn't arrived so it was pretty quiet. Ratchet was pretty much ignoring me, instead focusing all his attention on First Aid. I noticed that First Aid kept shooting me curious glances, but was mostly trying to listen to his mentor.

Optimus and Cliff had gone out for patrol about an hour ago and had yet to come back. So getting the cold shoulder was pretty lonely. The final bot, Sunstreaker, had just entered the room. It was my first time being in his presence while he was actually awake, and he was sneering at me of course. I glared right back at him, not at all interested in dealing with his attitude. I don't care if he liked humans or not, I would not be pushed around.

"Great, another squishy. How many of those do you have around here, Hatchet?" Sunstreaker grumbled and I huffed in irritation.

"Yo, tinhead, I have a name and it's not Squishy. Either call me by _real_ name or don't fucking mention me at all." I jeered. Like I said, I really wasn't interested in dealing with robots that had a bad attitude.

"What did you say to me?" He growled, his swords sliding forward. He pointed them threatening at me and I just rolled my eyes.

"You hard of hearing or something? I said…" I cupped my hands around my mouth. "DON'T FUCKING MENTION ME IF YOU CAN'T USE MY ACTUAL GIVEN NAME." I removed my hands and smirked. "Was that better or should I say it one more time?"

Sunstreaker was absolutely shaking with rage now and I could only grin with mockery. He didn't scare me, none of them did. And as pissed off as Ratchet might be at me right now, I knew he'd never allow anyone to harm me. So yeah, come at me dude. Come after the girl who currently harnesses the power of the Allspark. "You little glitch, I'm gonna-" He was stepping forward dangerously but I stood my ground.

"Sunstreaker, that's enough." Ratchet warned. "Optimus already told you that we don't harm humans. But we especially don't harm that one though. She's too important."

The gold mech scoffed. "How can this little insect be important? It can easily be squished."

"Because this little insect happens to be the Allspark. And whether you or I or anyone else cares, I'm too important to winning your war and restoring your planet. So yeah, back up man." I smirked, feeling smug.

Sunstreaker laughed darkly. "Her? This tiny, insignificant bug is the Allspark. That's fragging ridiculous."

"And yet, it is true all the same." A new voice joined in and I looked up surprised. Optimus and Cliff had returned sometime during Sunstreakers and I's little argument. I felt pretty relieved at the sight of the big guy and my guardian. "Sunstreaker, this human and all others are under my protection. You will not harm them. If you do, I will not hesitate to throw you in a prison cell." Optimus warned him.

"Whatever." Sunstreaker grumbled before stomping out of the room and further into the silo. I watched him go, feeling oddly satisfied that he got put in his place.

"Jessica, it is not wise to provoke Sunstreaker. While he is a loyal bot, he has been known to detest any species that are different from our own. Humans especially, it seems." Optimus warned me now.

I shrugged my shoulders. "Sorry Optimus but I won't let him or anyone else push me away just because of my size or gender. I've dealt with that enough in my life. He needed to understand that I'm not like most humans, I _will_ fight back." I explained to him, feeling slightly uncomfortable at his scrutiny. However, Optimus just nodded his head, saying he understood my point but to be careful nonetheless.

A honk halted any other conversation. The other three had arrived with their human charges. I was really glad to have people my own size around once more. When Jack hopped off of Arcee's vehicle mode, I quickly gave him a hug which he returned. "I'm glad to see you're alright." Jack smiled, looking relieved.

"Thanks. It's good to see another human. I've been awake off and on all night and have been surrounded by titans!" I chuckled and Jack laughed with me.

I followed the three human children up to the second level landing and took a seat on the couch while they went to greet First Aid and Ratchet. Jack sent me a suspicious look and I knew he sensed the tension between Ratchet and I. However, I gave no indication that would confirm or deny his thoughts, whatever they might be.

He came over to join me on the couch. Before he could say a word though, a loud voice came on through the computers microphones.

" _Prime! PRIME!"_

Ratchet looked pretty annoyed as he typed something into his computer. A screen popped up, revealing the face of Fowler. "Special Agent Fowler, to what do we owe-" Optimus began but he was cut off.

" _What else, Cons. I chased them off with some slick moves, but not before they blew me out of the sky! They tried to smash and grab the dingus."_

"The what?" Arcee asked, looking as confused as the rest of us. What sort of person names something the dingus? Fowler rolled his eyes, huffing as he pulled up an image of what I assumed was the dingus.

" _Dynamic Nuclear Generation System, aka DINGUS. It's a prototype energy source I'm transporting to the coast for testing."_

Ratchet scoffed. "Pfft, that's absurd. Why would Starscream both with such primitive technology?"

" _I'm guessing to make a big fat primitive weapon of mass destruction. If this baby was to melt down, it would eradicate this state and the four next door."_ Uhh, what state did Fowler say he was currently in? " _I'm a sitting duck here, Prime. I need you to spin up your bridge and send the DINGUS to its destination before the Cons come back for it."_

"I'm afraid that sending such a volatile device through a groundbridge is out of the question. If there were to be an accident during its transmission, the radiation of which you speak could propagate through the groundbridge vortex and harm all fifty states, and beyond." Optimus informed him gravely.

" _You got any better ideas?"_

XxRebelWriterxX

They decided the best thing to do would be that they personally drove the thing to its destination. So Optimus, Bulkhead, Bee, Arcee, Cliff, and First Aid all used the groundbridge to get to Fowlers location. Ratchet and the still sulking Sunstreaker were left behind.

Jack decided now would be a good time to interrogate me. "So, what's going on with you and Ratchet? The two of you were thick as thieves a couple days ago, now your avoiding one another. Did something happen?" He asked me and I sighed, feeling the hurt from our argument once more.

"Let's just say that Ratchet discovered I had been lying to him and, when he confronted me about it, I said some pretty harsh things. Things that probably ruined the friendship we built." I replied sullenly.

Jack laid a hand on my shoulder and smiled sadly. "Hey, I'm sure whatever it is, it wasn't as bad as you think. You and Ratchet share a pretty special bond, we all have seen it. Both of you just need some time to cool off. And you know I'm always here for you. I know you have secrets from your past and that's okay. But I'm here whenever your ready to talk about them. You were my first true friend."

"Thanks Jack." I smiled gratefully. "I'm trying. I want to tell you guys about my past but it's so hard. Just know that I do trust you, all of you."

"I know you do." Jack opened his arms, offering me a hug and I accepted it.

" _That;s the one! The Con who shot me down. Who is he? Wingnut? Dingbat? Skyguy? There's a whole team of Cons!"_

Jack and I walked over to the railing and looked over the computer screen. We both exchanged frowns when we saw that there were no Decepticon signals in the area, only Autobots. "What? I'm not picking up anything. They must be utilizing a cloaking technology." Ratchet informed them, but he didn't look very certain.

" _Well, I'll be dipped."_

" _Our assailants are not Decepticons. They are human."_

Optimus was the second one to speak and his words shocked everyone in the room. "Human?" Everyone but Miko exclaimed. "Oh please! Taking on our bots, they're roadkill!" Miko added instead.

" _They claim their name is MECH."_

I snorted when Optimus informed us that. What kind of organization gives themselves a ridiculous name like MECH. Ratchet typed on the computer once more, bringing up a map that showed the route the Autobots were taking. "Optimus prepare to enunciate phase two. Five miles ahead to the south, you will reach the rendezvous point." He informed the Autobot leader.

Not much was spoken for a few minutes and we all waited with bated breaths to know what was going on. The DINGUS was successfully delivered to the train (phase two) but they still had to deal with MECH. The screen began dinging, showing that there were now approaching Cons as well. "Optimus, you have company." Ratchet informed him.

Optimus decided that it they would have to blow their cover to deal with the Cons and we heard the sound of transforming. We could hear the sound of them fighting but we had no idea exactly what was going. Then the worst thing possible happened, Optimus went down.

"MECH's going to grab the DINGUS! We need to think of something quick!" Jack pointed out. Raf asked if he meant like a phase three, but Jack was deep in thought. "Okay… Come on… Think!"

"What if we get on that train before MECH? Then we can protect the DINGUS with whatever means necessary." I suggested. Miko loved the idea, but Jack looked horrified.

"Absolutely not!" Ratchet objected and I finally looked up at him to glare at him. "Do you have any better ideas?" I scoffed. Ratchet returned my glare and from the corner of my eyes, I noticed the other three looked uncomfortable.

"Jessica, it's suicide." Jack tried to reason with me. Miko scoffed. "Hello! The United States of Total Meltdown! Lives are at stake!"

"Yeah! Yours!" Ratchet growled, still glaring at me scornfully. "You want me to not only bridge you into a confined space, but one traveling at 90 miles per hour? I can't even count the number of things that can go wrong- mass displacement, trauma, twisted limbs, metal burn." We all gave him disbelieving looks. "Well.. not that last part. Regardless, it is nearly impossible to fix groundbridge coordinates on something moving at that speed."

"Would it help if we had access to the trains coordinates?" Raf asked, typing into his own computer before showing Ratchet an image of the moving train. Ratchet still didn't look thrilled with the idea.

"Ratchet, if we don't do this, innocent lives will be lost. Possibly even ours. Please. You have to let us try." I practically begged him. Ratchet stared at me again, this time without the glare. There was something unreadable in his expression and my heart skipped a beat. I forgot for a second that he was angry with me. "Alright." He finally sighed before entering the coordinates Raf provided and pulled the lever. "Be careful." Ratchet nearly pleaded, looking right at me.

"We will be. Raf stay here and keep an eye on the train's coordinate." I instructed and he nodded in understanding. Then Miko, Jack and I walked through the groundbridge. When we emerged on the other side, Jack used his phone to call back to base.

"We're in." He informed them. As soon as he said that, we heard thumping on the roof. Jack and I exchanged looks before walking over to the train door and sliding it open so we could look at the top of the train car. "Raf, MECH is landing on top of the train!" Jack gulped into the phone. We held on to the side of the train when it suddenly swerved to the right.

There was more thumping noises, indicating more MECH goons had arrived. We looked up at the sound of buzzing and saw that they were sawing through the roof. "Well that only bought us like ten seconds." I groaned and Miko nodded in agreement, saying that Raf was losing his touch.

We looked around for weapons that we could possibly use. I noticed that there was an unconscious soldier on the ground, and beside him was a gun. "Perfect." I grinned, grabbing it. Miko took an axe and Jack had a fire extinguisher. They finished with sawing open the roof and I pointed the gun up at them. I didn't relish the thought of shooting someone, but I'll do what I have to to protect people.

"You want a piece of this?" Miko asked as she swung her axe around wildly. "Well do ya?"

Jack and I looked at her and then back at the MECH dudes. "What she said." We muttered simultaneously. The two MECH guys looked at each other and mumbled something before disappearing. "Huh, guess we scared them." I grinned smugly.

Then we heard a loud bang and I knew that wasn't good. One look out of the train door to the tracks ahead proved I was right. "Shit." I muttered, not caring that I was swearing in front of children.

"Ratchet! MECH blew the train tracks. You need to bridge us out of here! The soldiers too." Jack nearly shouted into the phone. I leaned forward to listen to his reply and my stomach dropped when he did. "We've lost access to the train data. I can't bridge you back without your coordinates." He replied, panicking.

Crap. Crap. Crap.

"Maybe we should jump…?" Miko suggested, prompting Jack and I to look at her like she was crazy. Jack reminded her that we were going ninety miles per hour. "It's the impact or the meltdown. Take your pick."

Jack was clearly panicking now. "What were we thinking, volunteering for this?" He asked fearfully and Miko told him that he should talk them out of these situations next time. "Next time…" He muttered, then sighed. I looked between the two of them, blankly. I couldn't think of a single thing to say in that moment. "At least we're in this together."

Miko suddenly snatched the phone from Jack's hand. "Raf, this is important! Make sure Bulkhead gets my guitar." She sniffled and I took the phone from her. "Ratchet, I really am sorry for lying to you. I hope one day you can forgive me." I cried, ignoring the looks I was getting from both Miko and Jack. Ratchet didn't reply and I hadn't expected him too. I may be on my deathbed, but it would take some time for him to completely forgive me.

We heard the sound of engines. Optimus and Cliff drove passed us. "Don't read the will just yet!" Jack grinned. Miko and I cheered.

We watched as Optimus and Cliff transformed and grabbed both sides of the train. It began to slow down before finally stopping altogether, right before the huge cradle MECH had put in the tracks. The three of us hopped out of the train and I quickly hugged my two friends. We had survived our second mission together.

Optimus and Cliffjumper had transformed down once more and honked to announce their arrival. Jack and Miko chose to ride with Optimus while I made a beeline for my guardian. His doors popped open as soon as I got to him and I quickly sat down. "Good job on not dying." Cliff joked through his radio.

"Ha ha." I grinned. Cliff took off towards the now opened groundbridge. When we emerged on the other side, I got back out so that he could transform again. I was nearly tackled when Raf through himself at him for a hug. "Hey Raf, I'm okay." I assured him. He pulled away and smiled before running after the other two humans and hugging them. The rest of the Autobots, minus Optimus, piled in and transformed into their regular form.

I noticed that at the far side of the room, Sunstreaker was lurking. He was giving each of the humans weird looks. Not his usual stare of disgust, but more of a curious 'I can't figure what I see' kind of look. When he noticed I was looking at him, he scowled and left the room again. That guy was really weird.

"Where's Optimus?" I asked and Arcee informed me that he was helping Agent Fowler finally deliver the DINGUS. That made sense. I felt someone staring at me and looked over to see that it was Ratchet. I couldn't read his expression but I could tell he was really thinking about something. I wanted to say something to him, but before I could, he turned away and started talking to First Aid. I sighed.

"Sooo, what's going on there?" Miko asked, her, Jack and Raf all staring at me curiously. I asked her what she meant. "Oh come on, we all know something weird is going on between you and doc over there. We heard your apology. What happened?"

I sighed again, not really in the mood for another heart to heart. I've been having way too many of those today. "Like I said, I lied to him and he found out. He wasn't very happy and now we're not on speaking terms. There's not really much to tell. And no, I'm not going to tell you what it was that I lied about. Some things are meant to be personal."

"Huh. I always thought you two shared some kind of special bond. I don't know, it's weird to see you two ignoring each other." Miko frowned, her arms crossed and expression troubled. I imagined that she was thinking about what she would do if her and Bulkhead had a fight. I couldn't see that happening though. The two of them were basically like a pod. It would take a lot to damage what they shared.

"Don't worry about me." I smiled ruefully. "I'll be fine. I've dealt with way worse."

Luckily Miko dropped it after that. The four of us broke up to go talk in different groups. I looked around for Cliff and noticed that he was talking with Arcee about something. Great, the only one I wanted to talk to was in the middle of a conversation. One that looked too serious to break up and I had no intention on angering Arcee.

I looked back over to Ratchet and blinked in surprise when I realized that First Aid was staring at me. The two of us had yet to have a conversation and I knew we would need to talk soon. He was the first Cybertronian that I had talked to in my dreams and I imagined he had some question he wanted to ask me. I also wanted to make sure he didn't blame himself for the fight Ratchet and I got into.

I gestured towards the hall, my way of asking him if he'd like to get away from everyone and talk. His optics shrunk before he turned towards Ratchet and said something to him. Then he walked out of the room and down the hall. I looked up at the Autobot medic, but he was occupied with Optimus and his delivery of the DINGUS.

First Aid led us to the medbay and I walked over to the berth that held the human sized beds and climbed up it. I noticed that he was watching me curiously when I got to the top and turned to face him. "So, First Aid huh. Fancy seeing you outside of my dreams." I chuckled nervously.

He looked pretty amused. "Yes, it is. I was very surprised when I onlined and saw you laying on that bed. I believe I scared Ratchet when I refused to believe I was awake because I had only seen you in my dreams." He frowned then. "I heard about the fight between the two of you. I apologize for causing it. I was unaware that you hadn't told anyone."

"It's cool. How would you have known? Besides, I should've told Ratchet a long time ago. It was my fault for being so afraid." I assured him.

"If I may, why were you scared of telling Ratchet that you could talk to Cybertronians in your dreams? From what I have gathered, the two of you are quite good friends. I believe Cliffjumper mentioned that he was training you in our field." He asked, his head tilted in curiosity.

I winced, rubbing my arm awkwardly. "We are friends, at least we were. But when you and I shared our first dream together, I had only just met the Autobots. I didn't know anything about them and I was afraid. I had some weird, freaky powers that brought bots back to life and let me speak to them in my dreams, no matter the distance. It was information overload. I wanted to figure out what was happening but I couldn't risk telling him the truth because I didn't trust him in the beginning."

"But you do now?"

"I trust all of the Autobots with my life." I promised fiercely. I quickly deflated though. "I don't know why I never told him after I started to trust him. I've never been able to trust people. My childhood was spent with me repressing who I truly was because I was constantly told that I wasn't normal. So I kept my problems to myself, just as I always have."

"Have you explained all this to Ratchet?"

I shrugged. "He knows the gist of it. But like I said, it's hard for me to be vulnerable with anyone. The only one who knows all of my past is Cliff. It's always been easy for me to talk to him. Maybe because I brought him back to life, I don't know."

First Aid looked thoughtful. "I cannot tell you what the right path is here, but I think you should trust in Ratchet. He cares about you. I've never seen him look at another as he does you, and I've known the mech for quite some time. You're special to him, Jessica. If you open up to him, I guarantee he will do the same to you."

"Thanks." I smiled shyly. "I will try."

"That is all any of us can do."

 **Alright, another chapter is done! I don't know about you guys, but I am loving where this is going. Sunstreaker is such a delight, isn't he? Don't worry, we'll see more of his aft later in the story. Right now, he's sulking and missing his brother. First Aid is just adorable too! I can't wait to write more of him later!**

 **Also, oh no! Jessica and Ratchet got into a little fight! I mean, it's bound to happen in any relationship. Now we just gotta see how they're gonna get past it. The two of them are crazy for one another, they'll get over it. In time. Next chapter will really get the story going. See you soon!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Good morning my amazing readers! Or goodnight for those of you about to go to sleep. If it's the middle of the day, then just plain hello. Welcome back for another amazing chapter! This one is going to have so crazy fun! So sit back, relax, and try not to cry too much.**

 **Disclaimer: Still haven't picked up the rights to the Transformer World so I guess I still don't own anything that I write about hear. Maybe one day…**

 **Chapter Ten:**

The next couple weeks passed by relatively slow. The kids and I kept pretty busy with school, and I also had training to worry about as well. However, Ratchet had completely ceased our lessons together and I was too afraid to approach him about it. Anytime I was at the base, he would go anywhere that I was not. It hurt every time he saw me enter a room and he would immediately exit if possible.

First Aid had offered to pick up where he left off but I refused. If it wasn't Ratchet training me, I knew I would not be able to focus and get into the material. It would just hurt even more. Cliff tried to keep me distracted, adding in extra training and finally teaching me how to shoot firearms. It wasn't enough though and I soon found myself visiting the base less and less.

Jack and Miko both saw my deteriorating state and tried to help me in whatever way possible. I tried to put on a brave face, but I was just hurting too much. I missed Ratchet. I missed his wit, his intelligence, his sarcasm, his teaching, and his friendship. I even missed his surly bedside manner. I _missed him._ And it was even worse now that I was acknowledge the deep feelings I had for him.

I knew Cliff missed hanging out at the base. The only time we were really there was for training. We would go there when I got off of school, train for about three or four hours, then I would ask him to take me home. I told him he was free to go to the base without me anytime he wanted, but for some reason he was adamant that I was never alone.

I figured it had something to do with the Decepticons. After the encounter we had with Makeshift, Cliff had been a lot more… jumpy. He believed that I was in danger. I tried to tell him that just being associated with the Autobots put me in danger, but you know Cliff.

Anyway, it was going on week three of the whole Cold Shoulder Ratchet. Cliff had a mission that Optimus specially needed him for which meant I was stuck at the base. It was frustrating that I couldn't just go home, but like I said, Cliff was being a total mother hen. So I just sat on the couch in the main room and worked quietly on my homework. Ratchet and First Aid were discussing something but I couldn't really hear them. Sunstreaker was actually out for once, but I tried to ignore him. He was still an asshole.

I had to miss my classes because of Cliff's mission. Luckily Agent Fowler was pretty proficient at covering my disappearances when required. My parents believed I was at a conference in Greece. That meant I was pretty much stuck here at the base for the next week. I wasn't sure why they had to make it so long but they weren't sure how long Cliff would be gone. Ratchet refused to 'babysit', as he so eloquently put it, me and Sunstreaker hated my guts. I tried to get them to let First Aid be my temporary guardian, but he wasn't really a warrior. He hated fighting, it was why he became a medic in the first place.

Since I didn't go to the high school, Bulkhead and Arcee was out of the question. I didn't understand why one or the other couldn't've gone with me, but according to Cliff, Miko's unpredictability made it dangerous for Bulkhead to be separate from her. Arcee, well, she preferred Jack. She vehemently refused to guard anyone else, and honestly I'd rather not deal with a pissed off femme. The two of us didn't always get along. I couldn't understand Bee so Optimus didn't want him with anyone but Raf.

So yeah, that's how I got stuck at the base for a whole week, with two bots who wanted nothing to do with me and another I barely knew. It was going to be a looong week.

I kept glancing at the clock, waiting for it to strike three because I knew that meant Jack and Raf would soon be here. Miko had detention today so I didn't expect to see her until later tonight. She pretty much lived for getting in trouble.

My homework was becoming increasingly boring. I'd been staring at the same math equation for the passed half hour and it wasn't making any sense. Finally, I groaned and slammed the book closed. "When am I ever going to use these stupid equations again when I graduate college? I bet you I'll never have to give the inverse of a function when I'm changing bed pans." I muttered to myself annoyed.

"The fleshy seems to be angry all the time. She reminds me of Ironhide." Sunstreaker suddenly spoke up and I shot him a heated glare.

" _You've_ never had to take ridiculous college classes on subjects you don't even need for your future profession. I want to be a nurse, not a math nerd. Why do I have to know all of this? The education system is seriously flawed." I hissed.

Sunstreaker looked unimpressed. "I do not care about your primitive Earth schooling."

"Then shut up and leave me alone." I growled before leaning further into the couch and covering my face with my hands. My stress levels were seriously through the roof. I needed a drink. I wish they had a beer or something that I could get my hands on. But no, Ratchet wouldn't even let us have soda. He said it was bad for our bodies. So water and sugar free juices were all that we had.

"Will you two stop bickering like sparklings." Ratchet grouched and I rolled my eyes while Sunstreaker huffed. I looked at the clock and noticed that it was only a ten after one. I groaned again and pushed myself off the couch. "I'm gonna go work out, if anyone cares. Doubt you do though so whatever." I grumbled aloud as I climbed down the stairs to the main floor.

No one gave me a second look as I walked down the hallway and towards the training room. I didn't really want to work out but I couldn't stand another second of being up front. Between the tense atmosphere with Ratchet and I, and Sunstreaker's less than charming demeanor, I was seriously losing my mind. A good run on the treadmill might help put me at ease. So I changed into my work out clothes, plugged in my headphones to my phone and put on some tunes, and began jogging on the human sized treadmill.

I ran for a good twenty minutes. Honestly though, my heart wasn't in it. I could run for hours, but I really just didn't want to. I didn't know what I wanted to do.

Stopping the treadmill, I got off and sat down on a nearby bench, yanking my headphones from my ears. Across the room, there was a mirror and I looked into it at my reflection. Staring back at me was a girl I hardly recognized. When I first came to Jasper, I'd been this shy, awkward girl who couldn't trust anyone because protecting myself was more important than anything else.

Now, well, I was still shy, and awkward, and reserved, but I was so much more. I had a family in Jack, Miko, Raf and the Autobots. I had Cliffjumper, someone I could trust to tell all my secrets too. I had powers, unbelievable powers that had brought my guardian and best friend back to life. I was someone who was important. Yet, I didn't feel like it. I still pushed people away and let my insecurities get the best of me. I hurt someone I loved.

God. I loved someone.

Not just anyone. I loved an alien.

I didn't know how to love someone. I could barely love myself on a good day. After so many years of people looking at me like I was a freak, and treating me like I was something to hide and fear, I began to think of myself as they believed. I was a freak. I was something to hide away distrustfully. I was weird. I had issues. I didn't deserve the people I had in my life.

And yet, despite these thoughts going through my head, I knew they weren't even remotely true. Because I had people in my life now who loved me. They didn't see me as a freak. They admired my powers and they believed that I was meant for something greater. I wasn't weird to them, I was important. I didn't have issues, I had a gift. I deserved to be in their lives and to be loved by them.

So why did I continue to push them away and not let them in? Why didn't I tell Jack, Miko and Raf what happened to me? Why didn't I explain to Ratchet that my past prevented me from completely opening up to anyone. Because the last time I had truly been myself, I was locked away in a mental institution by the people I thought had loved me more than anything.

I wanted to let him in, let them all in. I just didn't know how.

"This doesn't look like working out, fleshy? Or does sitting on a bench, wallowing in self pity count as a work out for you humans?" Sunstreakers voiced interrupted my thoughts. I looked over to see him standing in the doorway.

"What do you want?" I asked frostily.

Sunstreaker shrugged and walked into the room. He went over and sat down on an Autobot sized bench that was directly in front of me. "Got bored of listening to Hatchet and First Aid talk science. So I figured I could come in here and bug you. Didn't realize you were leaking lubricants from your eyes though. Isn't that a thing you humans do when you're sad?"

I reached up and touched my cheek, surprised to feel that it was wet. I hadn't realized I was crying. "It's called crying. Humans can cry when their sad or when their happy. Some even cry when they're angry. It can happen anytime one feels a powerful emotion." I explained with a sigh. I didn't know why I was wasting my breath though. Sunstreaker didn't care about human biology. He hated us.

"Humans are strange creatures." He frowned.

"Yeah, yeah, I know you hate us. Look, I'm really not in the mood to be ridiculed for something I have no control over. So can you please just leave me alone." I begged, a lump forming in my throat. I knew I was one insult away from total meltdown.

Sunstreaker looked away and glared at a wall. "I'm not here to insult you, fles- Jessica." I looked up, surprised that he had used my real name. I don't think he'd used any of the humans real names since he arrived on Earth. "Look, I don't know what went down with you and Ratchet, but according to the others, you're both miserable. So why don't you do us all a favor and make up already." He grumbled irritably.

"It's not that easy, Sunstreaker. For one, he's been avoiding me for the past three weeks. I've tried apologizing but he's not ready to forgive me and I can't blame him for that. I made my bed, now I need to lie in it." I explained to him, looking down at my feet miserably.

"What does your furniture for sleeping have to do with any of this?" Sunstreaker growled, annoyed. I sighed and explained that it was just an expression. "Look, nothing is ever going to change if the two of you don't get off your afts and talk to one another. I'm half tempted to lock you in a closet together until you make up!"

"Don't you dare!" I warned when I saw a mischievous look in his optics. "Why do you even care about the state of Ratchet and I's relationship."

Sunstreaker scoffed. "I really couldn't care any less. However, I know that if my brother were here, he'd want to help. He always was the nice one. Figured I could channel him for a few minutes. Don't expect me to continue being nice, nor will I admit this conversation ever took place."

The golden mech suddenly stood up and left the room without another word. I watched him go, my thoughts reeling at what just happened. Sunstreaker and I just had a conversation that didn't end in a screaming match. That never happened. We always butted heads. I'm pretty sure the others made bets each time we got into an argument about who would win. It was usually fifty-fifty. We were both pretty vicious.

Still, I did feel oddly better.

I looked over at the clock and saw that it was twenty till three. The others would be here soon. Thank the good lord above.

XxRebelWriterxX

Raf and Jack arrived with their guardians just passed three. I skipped over to my human friends and hugged both of them. "Hey guys, how was school?" I asked with a grin. Jack and Raf returned it with amused ones.

"Pretty good, but I have a mountain of homework." Raf replied and Jack agreed with him. We walked up the stairs to the second level and gathered around the coffee table. I decided since they were there, I should probably work on mine as well. After all, Raf was pretty much a genius, he could help me with my homework.

We worked in silence for a good twenty minutes when we were interrupted by the sound of an engine. All of us looked up, surprised to see Bulkhead pulling in with Miko. I could've sworn Bulkhead mentioned she had detention today. As soon as Bulkhead came to a stop, Miko hopped out, her expression annoyed. Bulkhead transformed as soon as she was clear. "You sound like my parents!" Miko huffed.

"Aren't they Japanese?" Bulkhead asked, looking confused.

"They may speak a different language, but they say the same things." Miko retorted snobbishly. Bulkhead looked annoyed now. "Because we want the best for you! And that means making sure you go to school! Not jail!"

"Miko, what did you do?" I asked, trying not to look amused at their bickering. Miko shrugged her shoulders and nonchalantly said that she had ditched detention. "You realize that they're just going to give you another one for skipping this one, right?"

She stuck her tongue out at me and I rolled my eyes at her immaturity. "Look Miko, before I became a warrior, I was a labourer- construction. I can build stuff, I can break stuff. And that's it." Miko didn't seem to get his message and said she loved breaking things and wanted to be just like him. "Oh… Why do you wanna be like me when you can be one of those human nurses that Jessica is studying to be?"

"That sounds boring."

"I'm detecting a fresh energon pulse from the nation called Greece." Ratchet announced, interrupting their conversation before it could go any further. I thought it was pretty funny that it was located in Greece when my parents literally believed that was where I was at the moment. "An ancient city, quite historic, I believe."

"Ancient Greece, huh. Oh field trip!" Bulkhead grinned at Miko.

"Can I tag along? My parents think I'm in Greece so at least if I step foot in there, I won't be completely lying. Plus I'm getting stir crazy in here." I inquired hopefully.

"Absolutely not!" Ratchet objected. I caught a small glimpse of something in his optics but he quickly fixed it with a cool glare. "It is too dangerous. The Decepticons are after you and I will not allow someone with your powers to be put within their reach."

I tried not to huff in indignation. "Come on! It's just a simple recon trip. I doubt there will even be able Cons around. I'm not going to sit around the base everyday, Ratchet."

Ratchet was about to further argue with me when Sunstreaker interrupted him. "Let the fleshy go, Hatchet. I'll accompany Bulkhead and keep an eye on her. If any Decepticons show up, we'll call a bridge and send her through immediately. She's not a child. You can't keep her locked up forever."

The Autobot medic stared blankly at Sunstreaker, shocked that he stood up for me. Everyone was looking at him in disbelief, myself included. Bulkhead was the first to break the silence. "She'll be fine Ratchet. Between the two of us, we can keep her safe."

"Fine." He grumbled, but he didn't look happy about it. "And don't call me Hatchet, Sunstreaker."

Ratchet opened the bridge and the four of us walked through it. When we emerged on the other side, it was to what looked like ancient ruins. Honestly I thought it was all pretty cool looking. "Sweet! So what are we doing in Wreck-O-Ville?" Miko asked her guardian with a grin. Bulkhead took some sort of scanning device out.

"Sunstreaker and I are scouting for energon. You're doing research for your history report. Jessica, feel free to walk around and stretch your legs a bit. Just stay close." Bulkhead replied to Miko. She pouted and told him, very loudly, that it wasn't cool that he punked her. Bulk ignored her and began walking around, following the signal on the device thingie. All three of us followed after him. "Signals strong." He muttered, leading us over to some pillars, machines, and a neat looking mural. "An excavation site!"

"That's pretty cool." I admired the painting and Miko agreed with me.

"According to my scanner, humans hit energon veins and they didn't even know it." We all got a closer look at the painting. "That's Cybertronian!"

I frowned, recognizing the little yellow ball from a lesson Ratchet had given me a couple months back on ancient Cybertronian relics. "Isn't that an Energon Harvester? Why would the Ancient Greeks have something like that?"

" _You_ know what an Energon harvester is?" Sunstreaker asked me, looking mildly impressed. He'd never admit it though. Miko took a picture of the painting. "You are actually smarter than I thought." I grinned at his compliment. He really was full of surprises today. "For a human, at least."

"Humans are insignificant little bugs." A new voice weighed in. We all turned around and saw a Decepticon that I didn't recognize standing there. Bulkhead hissed the name 'Breakdown' and the way he said it implied that the two of them didn't have a very good history. "Miss me?" The Con laughed and Bulkhead growled. "Like rust in my undercarriage." He snarled his reply. Definitely wanted to know their story.

"Ratchet, we got a Con." Sunstreaker tried to call for a bridge, but the signal was scrambled.

"Sorry terror twin, but I always carry a signal jammer." Breakdown jeered. "I see you brought a couple of pets, Bulkhead. Sunstreaker, is one of them a replacement for your missing twin. Last I heard, Sideswipe was a prisoner and being tortured by Scalpel himself."

Sunstreaker growled at the mention of his brother. "Now then, does your little pets play fetch?" Breakdown asked before breaking up a pillar and aiming it at Miko and I. "Catch!" He threw it at us. I pulled Miko behind me and braced for impact. It never came though.

"Miko, Jessica, stay down!" Bulkhead warned us. He had thrown himself in the path of the pillar and it smashed to pieces. I grabbed Miko's hand and pulled her away from the fight so that we could hide. Bulkhead and Sunstreaker both engaged the Decepticon.

They held their own pretty well. Breakdown had a difficult time fighting off two Autobots at once, especially ones as skilled as these two. Finally though, he managed to get a good hit on Bulkhead, throwing the bot into the wall and destroying the picture. "Oops, hope the pretty picture wasn't too important." Breakdown smirked before transforming and driving away. Miko and I came out of our hiding spots as soon as he was gone from view.

"Told you I'm good at breaking things." Bulkhead laughed slightly. Sunstreaker offered him a hand, helping him stand back up. Then the gold mech called Ratchet for a bridge.

"I'll always have your back, Bulk. Got us a picture of the picture." Miko grinned, showing off her phone.

XxRebelWriterxX

Ratchet bridged us back to the base and everyone gathered around the computer. Miko had sent the photo to the silos computer so we could look at a blown up version of the picture. Optimus had come back but Cliff was still nowhere to be seen. When I asked Optimus where he was, he informed me that Cliff was still out on the mission. I was worried but i knew my guardian could take care if himself.

"It is indeed an Energon Harvester. A tool created by the ancients to remove raw energon from any nearby source." Optimus confirmed gravely. Raf looked pretty confused, so he asked if Greek God's knew Cybertronians. "No. The ancients often used the art of a given era to conceal messages. This fresco was likely a signpost indicating a harvests location hidden somewhere on this planet." Prime explained.

"Wait wait, you said this thing can remove Energon from any nearby source, and you guys are full of this stuff…" I trailed off, my eyes widening in horror.

"In Decepticon hands, the harvester would be a devastating weapon."

Oh crap. "See, you were a genius to destroy that painting." Miko grinned at Bulkhead. Arcee crossed her arms. "Miko's not wrong. How can the Cons find the harvester without the fresco."

I copied her gesture and frowned. "Simple, all you need is high speed internet. Humans like to document everything, especially cool ancient stuff. No doubt that painting has been photographed. Heck, I bet you they even have the harvester in some museum." I pointed out.

"Jessica is right. If you search 'Greek God' and 'Golden Orb' this pops up. It's in a museum." Raf turned his computer to face us, showing the website of the museum that had the harvester. No doubt the Cons had access to the Internet and might even be on their way to get it now.

"That the real deal?" Arcee asked Optimus. Prime nodded and looked over to Ratchet. "Call Agent Fowler."

Ratchet pulled up Fowler information and sent the command to call him. The phone didn't even ring before going to voicemail. " _You've reached Special Agent William Fowler. I'm currently on an intensive training retreat and unavailable until Tuesday."_ The phone hung up and Ratchet looked super annoyed.

"I hate talking to machines." He grumbled and I couldn't stop the giggle that followed his words. Oh the irony. Ratchet looked over at me, his eyes intense and I heart fluttered in my chest. I held his gaze for a moment before looking sadly down at my feet, cheeks flushing.

"Without Agent Fowlers direct aid, we will have to confiscate the harvester on our own." Optimus decided, much to our surprise.

"Wait, you mean confiscate as in stealing. Stealing museum property? Isn't that a little illegal, Optimus?" I asked, feeling wary. The Autobots have always been about adhering to human laws. They didn't want to give the humans a reason to send them away, leaving us at to the fate of the Decepticons.

"I do not wish to break human law. But once the Decepticons learn of the harvesters location, they will not hesitate to obtain it with any means necessary. We must act covertly." Optimus explained. That made sense I suppose.

"No offense Optimus, but covertly and giant robots don't go well together. Museums are public. And they have guards and security cameras." Jack pointed out. He was right. The Autobots did have their holoforms, but the Cons could easily send a signal to cancel those out and get away with the harvester. Miko and I both agree with Jack. "No problem, we're small enough to sneak in and we're not a government secret." Miko added.

"I'm not sure that's wise Miko." Bulkhead frowned.

"But it may be our best option, Bulkhead." Optimus decided. "The longer we debate, the more time we give the Decepticons."

"Don't worry, Bulk, I'm going too. I have training after all, it's time I put it to good use." I assured the green mech. Ratchet, however, did not like that idea.

"You cannot go with them. There will undoubtedly be Decepticons there. We cannot afford for them to get ahold of you." He informed me and I tried not to roll my eyes in frustration. Why did they insist on treating me as some helpless little child when I had training to avoid Decepticon capture.

I wasn't sitting this out. "No offense, but I'm not a helpless child. I can handle myself out there, Ratchet. I can't spend the rest of my life hiding away here. I need to fight. Yes, I'm your Allspark and I have unimaginable powers, but I'm also human. I'll do everything I can to avoid Decepticons but I'm not going to stand by while actual children ran headlong into battle." I argued back.

Ratchet was glaring at me, but I could see how desperate he was to keep me here. Well no dice dude. You're the one who's decided we're no longer friends, so you didn't get a say.

Everyone was looking between the two of us, unsure of what to say next. I wasn't going to give in though. Ratchet sighed then, lowering his head in desperation. "I can't lose you." He finally said and my heart clenched. I definitely had not expected him to say that. I've never seen him look so vulnerable. He still ignored me for weeks.

"Really? After weeks you have to do this now?" I looked down at the floor for a moment before I pushed my shoulder back and glared resoundly. "I'm going. You guys can try to stop me, but I'll just leave. I am not your prisoner."

Ratchet didn't say another word, instead he marched passed me and down the hall. First Aid looked after him then back at me before following after his mentor. "Well… that was intense." Miko commented and I shot her a glare. She shrugged.

"What's the plan?" I asked Optimus. He was staring at me curiously, something gleamed in his optics. He understood though that I was not backing down. Finally he began a run down of what he expected we would need to do. I listened as well as I could but my thoughts kept shifting back to Ratchet. He was confusing the hell out of me. One minute he wanted nothing to do with me, the next he was trying to control my life. What was his deal? I really wanted to talk to Cliffjumper. He would know what to say.

Ratchet and First Aid came back in as soon as Prime was wrapping out his plan. Ratchet was avoiding my eyes and I didn't know how to feel about that. I really missed talking to him. With the coordinates entered, Optimus, Bulkhead, Bee and Arcee all transformed and drove into the groundbridge portal.

The others and I were waiting at the entrance, standing on a yellow forklift. It would be used to carry the orb since it was supposedly pretty heavy. I looked over at Sunstreaker, who decided to stay back this time. He was twirling a giant dagger in his servos, a far off look in his optics. Somehow I knew he was thinking about his twin and that Decepticons words. Ratchet had briefly told me about Scalpel during one of our lessons. The Con was a nasty piece of work and he was pretty famous at torturing bots to the brink of death and then bringing them back to torture more. I really hoped, for Sunstreakers sake, that Breakdown had been lying.

" _Jack, Rafael, Miko, and Jessica, I will have a clear view of you. Once you secure the harvester, I will contact Ratchet and he will bridge you back to base."_ Optimus explained over the comlink Cliffjumper had given me months ago.

Ratchet activated the groundbridge. "Now, since you'll bypass all normal points of entry, you won't have to worry about setting off the alarm. But take care to avoid any security guards." Ratchet warned us before his eyes met mine for the first time since our argument a bit ago. "And please, be careful."

I nodded my head, silently promising him I would. "Thank you, Ratchet." I smiled weakly. He didn't return it but that was okay. Jack started up the lift and drove us forward into the bridge. I couldn't help but turn back to look at Ratchet one last time. He kept eye contact with me all the way through, until we disappeared from sight and appeared into the museum.

The first thing we saw was a skeleton of a tyrannosaurus rex. "Cool." I whispered with a smile. I loved dinosaurs so much. Velociraptors were by far my favorite. The golden orb was situated close to the skeleton so we luckily didn't have to go very far. "Opa." Miko whispered with a satisfied smile. I peered out the windows where I could see Optimus's alt-form. He flashed his headlights three times, indicating that it was safe to begin the switch.

We quickly got to work. First things first, we needed to make sure the camera didn't see us. Jack rose the forklift up towards the camera. Once we were in position, Miko took a picture of the exhibit with her phone and carefully slid it into place. The three of us looked over at Optimus again before slowly moving the lift towards the statue that held the orb. As soon as we got to it, the four of us worked together to get it off. The sound of glass cracking caught our attention and when we looked over at Optimus again, it was in horror.

He was peering into the museum, fully transformed and holding something that kind of looked like a missile to his side. We he turned to face the outside again, he was jammed in the neck with some sort of energon prod. I could see the electricity coursing through his body and he writhed in pain. "It's Cons!" Raf gasped.

"They got Optimus!" Jack exclaimed. "Shit, we need to hurry guys!" I gulped, the curse word slipping out despite being surrounded by children.

Optimus was now laying flat on his stomach and the Con on top of him stabbed him again with the energon prod. I then noticed another vehicle was speeding towards the museum… a familiar vehicle. "Miko, I think that Breakdown dude is back." I grabbed her arm and pointed towards the Con. Bee and Arcee came riding around the corner, rushing towards Breakdown. He stopped and shot two missiles. Bee transformed in order to try and miss it, but he went rolling. Arcee swerved and lost control, slamming into Bee.

The museum shook slightly and Bulkhead jumped down from the roof and rushed the Con. Breakdown transformed and punched Bulk, sending him flying backwards and into the other Decepticon. The slammed into the museum wall, triggering the alarm. Luckily the force of their hit managed to knock the harvester loose and it fell into the forklift. "Let's get out of here!" I blurted and the others agreed.

Jack lowered the lift and Miko jumped out to scout ahead. We followed after her slowly. Miko ran around a corner and hit a button to open a garage door. She rolled underneath it and stood to look around but she was blindsided by a flashlight. Luckily Jack had seen the guard and had pulled the lift back behind the wall. "Uh… wassup?" Miko greeted nervously.

The guard looked unimpressed. "Better come with me, miss." He said as he grabbed her wrist and basically threw her into the office. That's not good.

We heard the sound of a Cybertronian walking and spotted legs on the other side of yet another garage door. "Arcee?" Jack called. I watched as a hand reached under and pulled the door open. That was definitely not Arcee.

"Soundwave." I gulped as the Con's visor turned to look at us. He reached forward and grabbed the harvester. We obviously couldn't stop him. But then, the Con looked at me. Soundwave grabbed me and I yelped in surprise. "Hey what the hell? Let me go, ugly." I sneered, beating my fists on his arms.

"Jessica!" Jack and Raf cried out. The Decepticon transformed and, since he was a drone, I was basically tied up by some sort of energy rope thing right about the harvester. I gulped when I looked down. He took off quickly, probably off to the Decepticon warship. I could barely make out the Autobots has as they faded from view. The only thing I could think about was how absolutely pissed off Ratchet was going to be. He and Cliff were never going to let me leave the base again.

That is, if I ever managed to get free.

 **And that, folks, is where we end it. Yes, yes, I'm well aware there's more to the episode. But this was just the perfect place for me to stop this episode. Don't worry, I'm sure the Autobots will eventually get the Orb back. Right now though, their main worry is going to be getting their Allspark back! Will they manage to free Jessica? What will Ratchet and Cliff's reactions be to discovering her abduction? Will Jessica and Ratchet** _ **ever**_ **make up already? Stay tuned for more, my friends! Until the next chapter! PEACE!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Hey guys, welcome back! I have missed all of you very much! Are you all ready for another fun chapter! I know I am! Lol. This chapter won't be very much fun though. I should probably go ahead and warn you that there will be a lot of torture in this chapter and it will get gory.**

 **If you wish to skip the torture scene, I will mark the beginning and end for you. It's pretty bad, I felt slightly sick writing it. But I needed to write it for the story. If you're under the age of 17, please skip it. Read at your discretion.**

 **Disclaimer: The only thing I own is me. My character. Jessica. She shares my name. Okay, let's read the story!**

 **Chapter Eleven:**

My head was spinning when I woke up. I tried blinking away the blurriness in my eyes, but failed. I couldn't focus on where I was or what had happened. Everything was just cold. I was cold. I could hear somebody talking, but I couldn't make our the words, nor could I see them. All I saw was a shaky blur of red and silver figures… very tall figures.

My head rolled and I moaned, feeling nauseous all of a sudden. I tried to roll to the side, feeling the impending need to puke. I couldn't move though. I was strapped down. I moaned again, coughing as I tried to withhold the rising vomit. "What is wrong with it?" I was finally able to make out words of whoever was in the room with me. I tried blinking again to clear my vision. I knew that voice and it was trouble.

I was in trouble.

"I don't know much about insects. I think we might've used too much gas when we knocked it out. Maybe we accidently poisoned it?" The second voice replied. I didn't recognize this one, but that didn't make me feel much better.

"How can this fleshbag possibly be the Allspark if it can't even handle a bit of gas?" The first voice growled. The room finally halted and, after blinking a couple more times, I was finally able to see. I looked at my captors and glared. They were Decepticons. I recognized the first one as Starscream, current leader of the Con army. The other one was new, I vaguely remember the incident at the museum and I think he was the one who had taken down Optimus.

The Cons smirked down at me darkly. "Hello, human. My name is Lord Starscream, leader of the-"

"Yeah, yeah, leader of the Decepticons, blah blah blah. I really don't care tinhead." I interrupted him with a sneer, much to his fury. "Why don't you just tell me why you decided it would be a good idea to kidnap a twenty-one year old college student."

Starscream scowled at me. "How dare you speak to me that way. I could kill you with a single swipe of my talons." He stroked my cheek with a finger, digging into the skin enough to draw blood. I withheld a wince at the pain, not willing to give him any sort of reaction. I knew it was only going to get worse from him.

"But you aren't going to. You didn't kidnap me just to kill me. Soundwave could have easily destroyed me back at the museum. Instead he brought me here, to you. So Lord Starbutt, why am I here?" They both were taken aback by the ferocity of my tone. Clearly they expected me to be a weak, whimpering child who begged for them to release her. I would never give them the satisfaction of hearing me beg.

"You are a feisty one, aren't you?" Starscream chuckled menacingly. "No matter, we will soon break you. I'd like you to meet our doctor, Knock Out. He's going to try and figure out what makes you tick. After all, it's not everyday you come across a human Allspark. Don't worry, I promise it will be extremely painful." Starscream's face got close to me and he grinned, showing off his razor sharp teeth.

I spit at him, slobbering most of his face with my saliva. "Ahh!" He yelped, backing away quickly and nearly colliding with Knock Out. I laughed as he danced around in horror, trying desperately to wipe it off. "Knock Out, get me a rag or something! Ew, ew, ew, it's disgusting!" Starscream howled. Knock Out left the room quickly and came back with a rag. He handed it to his leader and Starscream quickly wiped his face. "Yech! Now I'm going to need a disinfectant bath." He looked absolutely repulsed and I giggled again. "Keep laughing, insect. You won't be for much longer."

"Whatever you say bucketbrain." I winked, utterly amused by his vanity.

"Good luck, doctor. Make sure it hurts." Starscream nodded at Knock Out. The other Con returned the gesture before Screamer left the room, arms folded behind his back and mumbling about insolent fleshbags.

"So, it's just you and me, huh?" I smirked at the Decepticon doctor.

Knock Out didn't reply. Instead, he was walking around the room, muttering to himself as he gathered a bunch of different tools. I tried not to get too worried when I saw some of them. They looked very sharp. And painful. I wasn't very good with pain. I never thought I'd be in a situation where I was about to be tortured.

The Con turned towards me. "Anything you'd like to say before we begin?" He grinned maliciously

I laughed. "Yeah, fuck you. The Autobots will make you pay for this." I promised him with a determined glare. My heart was hammering away in my chest and I never felt fear like this before. But I had to believe Primus had a plan for me. I just needed to trust in him.

"I doubt Primus would entrust great powers like the Allspark with someone as insignificant as you are. You just got lucky somehow." Knockout filled a springe with some sort of green liquid. "Now, brace yourself, because this will hurt."

XxRebelWriterxX

(Torture scene, skip down if you don't want to read this!)

The needle pierced my skin and he empty that stuff into my bloodstream. Immediately, my arm felt as if it were on fire. The fire spread throughout my entire body as it traveled. I held back a scream, but I couldn't stop the tears from gathering in my eyes. The veins of my body glowed a purple color.

"Huh, you have energon in your blood. That is odd. I thought humans reacted negatively to energon. No matter, I can use this. Perhaps if I drained all the blood from your body, I can somehow separate the two and study it." Knock Out smirked.

"That's insane." I bit out. The fire was slowly cooling down. He laughed. "Perhaps, but it will be so much fun to try." The decepticon grabbed a sharp knife and cut a line down my right arm, starting from my shoulder and going all the way down to my hands. I couldn't stop the cry of pain that time.

My blood poured out, bubbling from whatever substance Knockout had put in me. It wasn't a dark red like normal blood, but instead was a deep purple color. "Very fascinating." Knock Out mused. He collected a sample of it. "I wonder if it's like this all over your body. Let's find out, shall we?" This time he cut down my left leg, starting at the top of my thigh and stopping right at my ankle. I couldn't see what it looked like, but Knock Out's hum of approval probably meant it was the same.

"I wonder if the Allspark changed your bone dexterity?"

He plunged the knife deep into my leg. This time I did scream at the searing pain. He cut through the muscles, opening the skin of my leg up to show the bone. I writhed against my bonds, trying desperately to get free. Tears were now making tracks down my cheeks. "P-please, s-st-stop!" I begged but Knock Out just laughed. He grabbed what looked like a wrench. I couldn't see what he was doing, but I could feel him stick it into the wound on my legs. "NO! Please!" I cried.

He snapped my bone with a sickening crunch and I screamed. White, hot agony coursed through my body. Knock Out laughed, amused with my pain. "You are so weak. Why would anyone believe you had any kind of ancient powers. Humans are not meant to interact with Gods."

Bile rose in my throat again and this time I couldn't stop it. I twisted my head as much as I could and threw up all over the side of my face. "Disgusting." Knock Out grimaced. I could hardly breath. Some of the vomit went back down my throat, causing me to choke. I coughed hard, trying desperately to breath again. Knock out walked away and when he came back, he shoved a tube roughly down my throat. When he pulled it out again, I was able to breath once more. "Weak insect."

"Please, leave me alone." I tried begging again. Knock Out laughed again. "Sorry, fleshy, I'm nowhere near finished with you."

He pushed a button and my bounds came undone. I tried pushing myself up, but the pain that flared up from the tiniest of movement cause me to collapse once more. "Cliffjumper will kill you." I promised, glaring up at him defiantly.

"I'd like to see him try." Knock Out sneered before roughly picking me up. I screamed again, my head growing fuzzy as the pain became too much for me. I looked down at my leg, gasping when I saw the bloody mess it was. My skin was bruised black and purple all the way up my leg and the gaping hole nearly had me sick again. I could see the broken bone sticking out from the wound.

XxRebelWriterxX

(Alright, the gorey stuff is over.)

Knock Out carried me into another room. This one had a some sort of orb-shape machine. He laid me on a cot and strapped me into it. "W-what are you doing n-now?" I asked, my teeth grit in pain.

"You'll find out." He grinned darkly. I did not like that look.

He pushed the cot into the orb machine and closed the door, locking it. Nothing happened at first. Then it began to glow a bright green color. As soon as the light made contact with my skin, it burned. While it was painful, it was easier to endure than what I had just gone through. I knew that it was some kind of radiation.

It was probably around twenty minutes that I was in there. Knock Out pulled me out of the machine and looked me over curiously. I looked over myself too and was surprised to see that it hasn't affected me in any way. My skin didn't turn pink, nor was it glowing.

"Interesting. The last human I tested this thing on was nearly liquidized after ten minutes. You were in there twice that and don't even have a burn. The Allspark certainly has had an interesting affect on you, doesn't it? Interesting indeed. Starscream will definitely want to know about this. He'll be just as fascinated as I am. I wonder where he's disappeared to." Knock Out looked intrigued. I was horrified. They did experiments on humans? How did no one notice this? Why would they torture people? I knew they were evil, but I hadn't realized how sick minded the Decepticon army truly was. "Hm, no matter. I have a pressing engagement to get to, insect. We will have to continue our fun tomorrow."

He unstrapped me again and picked me up. Then he put me inside a large, narrow tube that just barely had enough room for me to sit down with my legs stretched out in front of me. He sealed it up, though I doubt I would've been able to climb to the top anyways. Knock Out wave goodbye, smirking smugly.

I flipped him off.

The Decepticon either didn't know the gesture or just didn't care because he left after that. I groaned to myself. I couldn't believe I was stupid enough to think that I could handle facing a Decepticon. I had practically frozen in Soundwave's grip. Every memory of my training seem to just disappear the moment I was face to face with a real Con. How could I have been so stupid? Who knows what Knock Out- or worse, Starscream- had in mind for me.

And who knows if I would actually survive it. Something told me this was only the tip of the iceberg. I knew the torture was to see how much the Allspark had changed me physically. The radiation treatment was probably for the same reason. So now they knew how little the Allspark had changed my more human vulnerabilities. I imagine they'd be surprised when they saw how quickly I healed. I could already feel that the more simple cuts were healing up. My leg would probably take some time. When my ribs had been broken, it took nearly two days for them to heal completely.

They will most likely try to test my powers next. Who knows what exactly that would entail. I wouldn't show them easily. They'd have to do something pretty big to get me to crack. I needed to remain strong though. The Autobots were no doubt doing everything in their power to find me and bring me home. I could only imagine the lecture I was going to get from Ratchet… and my guardian.

God. Ratchet.

My heart clenched at the thought of him. The last time we spoke, it was an argument. We'd been having so many of those lately. My feelings for him were so strong, yet I kept screaming at him and pushing him further and further away. I mean, sure, he wasn't making it any easier, but still. When you loved someone, you listened to them and you compromised with them. I hadn't been giving any thoughts to Ratchet's feelings. In fact, I routinely disregarded them. It's no wonder he was so angry with me.

All he's ever done for me was to protect me, or to teach me. And how did I repay him? I lied to him, I ignored his feelings and I treated him like shit. I was such a selfish person and I hadn't even realized it. I was constantly victimizing myself because of my past, but how could I ever move forward with my life if I didn't try?

If I ever got out of here, the first thing I was going to do was tell Ratchet everything. I was going to tell them all everything. Because they were my friends… no, they were my family. And they deserved to know who I truly was. I wasn't strong enough to escape on my own and I wasn't even sure how I could. I knew nothing about the Decepticon warship. This was my first time here. I knew the Cons had their own groundbridge but I wasn't sure where it was. Besides, I'm sure they kept it guarded.

For now, I just needed to play it by ear. That and pray the Autobots were able to find me. They were my only hope now.

Somehow, that thought made me feel better.

XxRebelWriterxX

 **Cliffjumper's POV**

When I was called back early from my mission, I certainly hadn't expected what I came back too. From the moment I drove into the base, I realized it was in utter chaos. When I transformed, everyone had turned to stare at me, each looking equally guilty and terrified. But when I met Ratchet's gaze, all I saw was pain. And anger. Mainly pain though.

Then I realized that there was one person missing.

"Where's Jessica?" I asked, trying not get ahead of myself. There were plenty of reasons why she wouldn't be there, right? Maybe her parents needed her, perhaps they had a family emergency? Or maybe something had happened at her school? I bet she was just hiding around the base somewhere.

I knew none of those reasons were right though. Not when I looked around at my fellow Autobots and human friends.

"Jessica has been taken… by the Decepticons." Optimus replied, his optics meeting mine and I could see the guilt and defeat in them. "But we will get her back, Cliffjumper. You mustn't do anything rash."

His final words didn't register in my mind. Instead, my thoughts just kept repeating that she had been captured. My charge had been taken by Decepticons. My best friend was in the hands of the enemy. How could this possibly have happened? She was supposed to stay here, in the base. That wasn't something hard to do. She was supposed to be safe in the base. What had happened?

"How?" I growled, my optics flashing in anger.

"She and the other humans went on a covert mission to collect an Energon Harvester from a museum. Unfortunately, we did not anticipate Soundwave's involvement. He got away with her and the harvester." Optimus explained.

My spark beat wildly in my chest. My partner was in danger. She was captured by the Decepticons. "No. How could you let this happen?" I snarled, turning my glare on each one of them, including the children. I glowered at Ratchet the longest. "You were supposed to protect her. I counted on you to keep her safe and you let her go out. All of you knew that the Cons were after her and yet you allowed her to be put in their path."

I pushed everything off of a nearby table, scattering a bunch of papers on the floor. The humans back away, inching closer to their guardians in fear. I was too angry to care. They were here while my girl was gone. "How can I ever trust any of you again?"

"Cliffjumper, we will get her back. I swear to you on my spark. We will not rest until she is brought home." Optimus promised, but his words were empty to me. I looked back over at Ratchet, but he was glaring at the floor. Why hadn't he stopped her from going? I thought he was overprotective just like me, because he cared about her as much as I did. Was he really so angry with her that he'd just let her go out unprotected.

"I tried to stop her." Ratchet growled and slammed a fist on the wall. "But she wouldn't listen to me. She is the most stubborn girl I have ever met in my entire life."

I scoffed. "You shouldn't've let her out. None of you should've. I don't care if you tied her up in one of the back rooms. I thought you would keep her safe. She might be a human, but she has powers unlike anything we have ever seen before. She's the _Allspark._ "

"Jessica was not a prisoner, Cliffjumper. We cannot keep her locked up here, it would just cause her to rebel and put herself in danger." Optimus sighed. "But you are right. Jessica isn't like most humans. Training or not, Jessica was a target by the Cons. We should've done more, I should not have allowed her to leave."

My anger deflated at Prime's dejected tone. It was pretty clear that he was beating himself up, they all were. Jessica was important to all of us, not just me. Screaming at one another wasn't going to get her back. We needed to come up with some kind of plan. "So what are we going to do to get her back. Do we have any clue where the Decepticon warship is right now? Or is it going to be a wild goose chase?" I finally asked, determined to get started right away.

XxRebelWriterxX

We didn't get very far in our planning. Finding the Decepticon warship was going to be a challenge. It would be one even if they weren't hiding someone they knew we'd come after, so you can imagine how careful they were being now. We talked for a couple hours before deciding to take a break and regroup in a little while.

The Autobots with charges left to take them home. Optimus and Sunstreaker went on patrol while First Aid decided to get some recharge. That left me with Ratchet. I knew he was taking this as hard as I was.

"I'd ask if you were alright, but I already know the answer." I spoke after a few minutes of silence. Ratchet didn't reply. I hadn't expected him too. He was pretty much a master at concealing his feelings, no matter how intense they were. Everyone knew he loved Jessica, whether he'd admitted it himself or not. I already knew Jessica loved him because, you know, she told me. "She still cares about you, you know."

Ratchet tensed and turned around to glare at me. "And why should she? All I've done is ignored her and treated her like she didn't matter to me when she has been everything to me for several months now."

"You two had a fight. Jessica knew she had messed up and she understood why you were angry with her. She was simply waiting for you to forgive her." I informed him with a shrug. Ratchet huffed and turned away from me once more. "You know she has some secrets in her past, everyone here does. Trust me when I say they're pretty big. Jessica's been working on becoming a better person. She wanted to be someone that you would like… maybe even come to love."

I wasn't sure why I told him her secret. But somehow I knew it was the right thing to say. Ratchet froze I used the L-word. "She doesn't love me… she couldn't possibly." His optics grew and shrunk at a rapid rate as he processed Cliffjumpers words. "Why would she ever have feelings for me? I've pushed her away."

"Technically she pushed you away first, when she lied to you. Look, I can't pretend to understand Jessica's thought process. All I know is that that girl is crazy about you. I'm pretty sure she has been since she first laid eyes on you. She never gave up hope that the two of you would make up one day and be friends again. Jessica has a hard time trusting people with her past, but she trusts you with her future. And I know she'd never make the mistake of keeping something from you again." I pat his shoulder and smiled sadly. "We'll get her back, Ratchet. Then I'm positive she'll tell you all this herself."

I turned away and left the room, suddenly feeling very exhausted. I knew Ratchet would need some time to process everything I told him. But somehow, I knew it would all work out. We would get Jessica back and those two would finally make up. Then I was positive they would finally admit that they had feelings for one another. I wasn't sure how a Cybertronian/human relationship would work but that really wasn't any of my business. I knew that if anyone could do it, it was them.

Now we just needed to rescue my charge from the Decepticons.

 **Alrighty, so this chapter is hella shorter than usual, but hey, it's a fun chapter! In case you were wondering, Knockouts pressing engagement was street racing. However, since everyone at the base was worried about Jessica, Jack never accepted Vince's second challenge. He and Arcee still smoked him the first time though.**

 **Also if your still confused on why I tortured Jessica, it was mostly because Knockout wanted to test the affect the Allspark had on Jessica's physical body. So basically he wanted to see if she was like indestructible. He found out that she was not. She bled and she could break bones. However, she was immune to some things, like the radiation. It was something of his own making. It wouldn't affect Cybertronians all that much, but it should've completely boiled a human alive. The Allspark obviously protected her from that.**

 **Anyways, next chapter takes place during Sick Mind. Predatory will also be thrown in somewhere. I honestly forgot it needed to be included. For some reason, I thought sick minds was next. So I might have it mentioned after the next chapter. It might just be chapter 13 instead of 12. But yeah, the next one will be like this chapter, it'll mainly focus on Jessica and her predicament. The episode will feature a little more than this chapter did, but not as much as most chapters. See you all soonish. Bye!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Hello people! I'm having a pretty good writing day. I finished chapter ten, then wrote chapter eleven, and now I'm starting on twelve! If I keep this up, I might actually meet the deadline I set for myself! Yay! Anyways, fun stuff are in store for this chapter. So without further ado, let us beeeeegin!**

 **Disclaimer. I don't own this.**

 **Chapter Twelve:**

Knock Out was gone for quite some time, much to my relief. It gave me time to reflect on my future. I knew I had a lot to make up for when I got out of here… if I got out of here. I just needed to figure out how to go about that. Like I said, I wasn't any good when it came to be vulnerable. Telling anyone about my past was about as vulnerable as I got.

Add to the fact that I needed to tell Ratchet how I felt about him and I'm sure you can imagine the mess I was on the inside. All of this was going to be new territory for me and I just couldn't imagine how it would all work out.

On the bright side I guess, I was now completely healed. It took a lot less time than I figured. Within an hour of Knock Out being gone, my leg had been completely healed. It was still tender to the touch, but I could put a little bit of weight on it now. Given it another twenty or so minutes and I'd probably be good to go. I guess I should be happy with how fast my healing capabilities were now, but I was afraid of Knock Outs reaction.

I knew they were testing me to figure out how the Allspark was affecting me.

Something told me they would eventually figure this out. Having an ancient power that was also connected to human emotion, especially someone as stubborn as me, was definitely going to be a pain in the ass for the Cons. However, it wouldn't be hard for them to figure out my weak spots. All they needed to do was use one of the Autobots, my human friends, or my parents against me and I would crumble.

Don't tell them that though.

The door opening distracted me from my thoughts. I looked up to see Knock Out had returned. He had a couple new scratches on him, a fact that he wasn't very happy about. He was a very vain Cybertronian. He walked passed my tube, only shooting me a passing glance before he continued into the other room. He'd been in there for less than a second when he backed back out and looked at me in awe. "You've completely healed! I've been gone two of your human hours and you don't have a single scratch on you." Knock Out looked intrigued.

"Yeah, well, I am the Allspark." I replied cheekily.

He hummed in agreement before laughing and rubbing his hands together. "This means we can have more fun together much sooner than I expected. We were going to give you a couple days to heal, but it looks like they aren't needed."

"Sounds like fun, asshole." I sighed. I really wasn't looking forward to seeing what they had in mind for me. Something told me it was really going to test me.

Knock Out pushed a button that made my tube shrink to about half its size. My head now reached the top of it while standing up. He detached it from the wall and lifted it up so that I was right in front of his face. "This will be fun, insect." He smirked. He then activated his comlink. "Starscream, our prisoner is ready a lot sooner than I thought she'd be for phase two. You wanna meet us in the prison hall?"

I really didn't like the way he looked at me when he said prison. After Knock Out hung up, he walked out of the room and down the many twisty hallways of the Decepticon warship. Now I definitely knew I'd have trouble escaping from this place on my own.

He carried me all the way across the ship. Starscream was waiting for us outside of the door I assumed led to the prison. "Hello, fleshbag. Did you miss me?" Starscream sneered.

"Welp, to quote a friend of mine, 'like rust in my undercarriage'. Considering I'm not a Cybertronian, I'll just say like a rash out my ass, bucketbrain." I replied, snickering. Starscream rolled his optics, but otherwise did not reply. He knew by doing so, he'd just be spurning me on. I kind of wish he'd said more though, I wanted to say more insults!

Starscream opened the door and Knock Out followed him inside. They walked down a super long hallway with cell doors in either side. Some of them were opened, obviously empty, others were closed and locked up tight. We went straight to the back and Starscream opened the second to last door on the right. Knock Out walked inside the room then sat my tube down on the floor. I looked around curiously but couldn't see much because it was pitch dark inside.

Knock Out flipped the light switch and the room brightened instantly. My eyes were immediately drawn towards a red Cybertronian, who was clearly an Autobot, that laid on a berth in stasis mode. "Who is he?" I asked though he looked really familiar.

"I'm sure even you could figure that out insect. I believe you know his twin, Sunstreaker." Starscream replied and my mouth dropped open in surprise. This was Sideswipe! No wonder he looked so familiar. Besides the paint job, he was a splitting image of Sunstreaker. Right now he looked pretty bad. He was covered in scratches and dried up energon. "What did you guys do to him?" I growled.

Starscream smirked. "Nothing you can't fix, insect. Go ahead, show us your power. Heal the Autobot and I will consider releasing him."

"Hah! Do you really think I'm that stupid? You'd sooner kill Sideswipe than return him to his brother. They two of them together could destroy your whole operation. They are pretty kick ass, according to my sources." I gleaned, unafraid of what he had in store. He was going to have to try a lot harder if he wanted me to do as he asked.

"Hmm, it seems you're not as completely incompetent as we thought you were. No matter. If I can't persuade you perhaps I should force your hand." Starscream flashed a danger smile and my heart beat wildly in fear. He pressed a button on the wall that made Sideswipes body jerk before his optics flashed on. He was groaning in pain, I couldn't stand seeing a living being in so much pain. There was electricity surging throughout his entire body, almost like what happened to Optimus at the museum.

"Stop it! You're killing him!"I yelled, tears streaming down my face again. I'd been crying more in the past couple days than I had since I was released from the mental institution.

Starscream pressed the button again and Sideswipe was able to relax. He was venting pretty heavily, but despite the agony he must have been in, he was still glaring defiantly at Starscream. I had to admire his courage. "I see that I've gotten your attention, are you ready to cooperate now?" Starscream sneered.

"Even if I knew how to, I would never do anything for you, Starscream. You'd have to kill me." I replied, channeling some of Sideswipe bravery.

Sideswipe's optics flashed between me and Starscream. "Why am I here, Screamer. And why do you have an organic here?" He asked the Decepticon leader. Sideswipe was a strong mech, but I could see just how tired he was. I wondered how long he had been in the Cons possession and just how much pain they had inflicted on him. What kind of torture had he gone through? Based on what I've been through already, I didn't think I'd want to know.

"The organic is here to do a job and you are here to ensure she does it." Starscream replied.

I rolled my eyes. "I don't know Sideswipe very well, but from what I know about Sunstreaker, he'd never want me to give in to the demands of a Decepticon. So suck it, asshole." I declared haughty.

"You know my brother?" Sideswipes optics had widened and for the first time since he'd woken up, I could see a hint of hope. I smiled reassuringly at him. "Yes. Sunstreaker and I haven't always seen eye to eye, but I'd like to consider him a friend. He'd never admit it though. He's stubborn as hell. I also know Optimus Prime and a whole group of Autobots." I looked over at Starscream, lips curling in disgust. "And I guarantee they're doing everything in their power to get me back."

Starscream looked amused. "Perhaps, but they aren't here now, are they? It's just the three of us." Knock Out cleared his throat, reminding the other that he was still in the room. "And Knock Out, of course."

"Look, Starwars, I'm not going to participate. So either take me back to the other room and torture me some more, or release me. Because I will never do what you want." I promised.

Starscream laughed, the sound was one of morbid amusement. Sideswipe and I both watched him wearily. What exactly did he have planned? And why did it feel me with so much dread. "You will do what I say you will do." Starscream picked up a sword that had been behind the berth that Sideswipe was on. "I was hoping I wouldn't have to kill my prisoner so soon, but you've twisted my arm."

He raised the sword above Sideswipes spark. "NO!" I screamed before he plunged it down. Sideswipe jerked, his optics wide as he desperately tried to grab the sword in his chest. His arms were like magnetized to the berth though. Starscream yanked the sword out and I watched as energon swelled and spilled over. His optics flashed between light and dark before finally shutting down.

Sideswipe was dead.

"You monster!" I screamed while the two Cons laughed at my torment. I couldn't believe I had just witnessed them _murdering_ an Autobot. And not just any Autobot, Sunstreakers twin. Memories from Ratchet's lesson about sparks flitted through my mind. Twins who shared a spark could not survive without the other, which meant that Sunstreaker was dying.

"I'd give your precious Autobot Sunstreaker maybe five minutes before he too joins the Well of Sparks. So you have a decision to make, insect." Starscream untwisted the top of my tube and reached in to grab me. He threw me on top of Sideswipe's body, covering my hands and knees in his energon. "Either use your powers to bring this Autobot back to life, or be responsible for the death of two Autobots. The clock is ticking."

Shit. Shit. Shit.

I wasn't lying when I said that I had no clue how to bring an Autobot back from the dead. When I brought Cliffjumper back, I had the voice of Primus speaking to me. This time, there was no voice. I was on my own. I had special powers that could save him and his brother and I couldn't use them.

"Sideswipe." I whispered, a sob ripping through my throat. "Please come back."

My hands began to glow, much the same as they had the last time. I looked at them, feeling absolutely flabbergasted. A smile twitched on my face and I concentrated hard on the light. It spread of my entire arm, lighting up the room brilliantly. Then I stood up and walked shakily over to his spark chamber. My legs were weak but I was determined. I collapsed to my knees right in front of the gaping hole. "Please work." I muttered before leaning forward and touching the empty chamber and concentrated out spreading the light.

It spread along his entire body. The light was so bright that I had to close my eyes. It lasted for a couple moments. And when the light of my powers dimmed once more, Sideswipe was completely healed. His armor looked brand new and the was a pulsing spark inside his chamber. I retracted my hand and straightened my back, watching his optics.

They flashed back on and Sideswipe vented heavily as he looked around. His optics landed on me and I held his gaze, a relieved smile on my face. Thank God he was alright. That meant Sunstreaker should be alright too.

The sound of clapping caught Sideswipe and I's attention. We looked over to see Starscream and Knock Out were the ones doing it. Both of them had smug grins on their faces and I really did not like the looks in their optics. "That was magnificent! I knew you could do it, insect. Or should I say, Allspark?" Starscream spoke gleefully.

"You brought me back to life?" Sideswipe asked me, looking amazed.

I nodded. "I am the Allspark. It's my job to bring life." I replied and I was shocked at that realization. Being the Allspark was so much more than having powers. I was here to bring life back to the Cybertronians. I could feel the power I possessed now. It wasn't just energy, it was living. The Allspark was so much more that just a powerful artifact. Primus created it with the intent that one day I would possess. It was always my destiny.

I glared at Starscream. "I am not a toy for you, Starscream. You will not harness my powers, I will not allow it. Primus created me for the purpose of bringing light. You are nothing but darkness. I will not allow you to have control."

Starscream was unfazed by my words. "And yet, you are my prisoner, Allspark. You will do as I say or I will kill every single thing you care about. I've done my research on the human you inhabit. Since you chose a human, you must deal with the feelings they have as well. Which means I will kill her family and I will kill her friends."

"You do realize that me and the Allspark are one right. You can't really refer to the Allspark as a separate part of me. I _am_ the Allspark." I pointed out, annoyed with how he tried to separate the two of us.

"Oh whatever, it does not matter. I will still destroy everyone you love if you don't know what I say." Starscream stomped his foot. I raised an eyebrow at the immature move. Did someone give a toddler control of him? Because he really acted like a child sometimes. It was as amazing as it was disturbing. "I will give you some time to think it over. Come, Knock Out, we have things to discuss about our patient."

"Patient?" Knockout asked as he picked me up and put me back in the tube. He twisted the top on then laid the tube against the wall opposite Sideswipe. Starscream shot him an annoyed look. "Oh, right, that patient."

They left the prison cell, shutting and locking it

I was surprised that they left me in here with Sideswipe, but I was also relieved. It would be nice to be around a friendly Autobot instead of a sour Decepticon. Plus I was curious about him. Cliffjumper had told me a bit about Sideswipe. He was supposedly a lot nicer than Sunstreaker and he enjoyed making new friends. Perhaps the two of us could become friends while we were trapped in this hell.

Sideswipe was watching me curiously. I smiled at him and he returned it. "So, you're the Allspark, huh? I thought it was a giant cube, not a… um, what are you exactly? I've never met an alien race that looks quite like you." He asked me curiously. He didn't have any of the disgust that I'd seen plenty of times of Sunstreakers face so that was a relief.

"I'm a human. We're currently flying above a world that my people call Earth. Welcome to my world." I giggled. I've might have spent several months with aliens, but Sideswipe has never been to Earth, so it was only polite that I welcome him. "I'm not sure what exactly happened to the cube. When I was about eight, a friend and I were running through the forest in his backyard. We came across this luminous blue lake. I think it might've been energon, to be honest. Anyways, I saw this shard of metal inside of it, so being the curious child that I was at that age, I reached in and grabbed it. I remember it burning my flesh as it sunk into my hand and disappeared. Years later I met the Autobots, we discovered I had the Allspark energy within me, and the rest is history."

Sideswipe whistled, looking impressed. "You had some childhood, huh?" I tried not to frown but nodded. "Yeah, that I did."

XxRebelWriterxX

 **Cliffjumper's POV**

We were still no closer to finding Jessica than we were the day before. Everyone was growing a bit restless. Arcee and Jack had left for a recon mission simply so that they could get out of the base. That had been a few hours ago and we still haven't heard from them. I was slightly worried for my friend, but I knew 'Cee could take care of herself.

Ratchet hasn't left the computer since she'd been taken. I knew he was looking for any sign of her, or anything that could pinpoint us in the right direction.

" _Ratchet, we need a bridge._ " Arcee's voice sounded through the computer. Good, that was one less thing to worry about. Ratchet pulled the lever, activating the portal. Jack and Arcee walked through, both looking worse for wear.

"What happened?" I asked them.

"Airachnid. She's here on Earth." Arcee replied, her voice hard. I winced, knowing the history the two of them shared. Jack joined the other two humans on the platform by the monitors while Arcee went to get some energon. Having another Decepticon on Earth wasn't good, but I still had more important things to worry about. Like how I was going to get my charge back from the Decepticons.

All of a sudden, Sunstreaker collapsed to his knees. There was a pained look in his optics as he clutched the area above his spark. "Sunstreaker!" I exclaimed and ran over to help him up. Ratchet rushed over as well and the two of us supported him. We took him into the medbay and sat him on the chair. "Ratchet, what's happening?"

"Sideswipe." Sunstreaker moaned. "My brother is dead."

Ratchet swore. "If that is true, there is nothing I can do. It will not take long for Sunstreakers spark to give out. I'm sorry my friend." The medic laid a hand on the golden mechs shoulder, a defeated look in his optics.

"You're not even going to try?"

Ratchet and I looked over to see that the three humans had joined us. It was Jack who had asked the question. Ratchet's voice shook as he spoke. "Like I said, there isn't anything I can do. I can try to stabilize his spark, but the pain Sunstreaker will live in from now on will consume his life. Every twin who's lost their other half dies, whether it's from the loss of the others spark, or from taking their own life."

"Take the children out of here." I hissed at their guardians. Sunstreaker's mourning was not a spectacle. They did as I said and, as soon as they were gone, Optimus walked into the room. No one said a word, we just tried to comfort Sunstreaker the best we could.

Sunstreaker gasped, then his hands dropped from his chest. "Sideswipe!" He shouted… in joy? The gold mech jumped up and then I sw largest smile I had ever seen on his face. What in the world was happening? "My brother is alive! I can feel him through the bond. He's alive and he's on Earth. I might be able to communicate with him."

How was that possible? Sunstreaker had just collapsed because his brother was dead, and now he was saying he was alive and on Earth? That made no sense… unless… It couldn't be, could it? I exchanged looks with both Optimus and Ratchet and it seemed we had all three came to the same conclusion. The only reason Sideswipe would've died and then came back, is if the Allspark brought him back. Was Jessica with Sideswipe right now?

We all watched Sunstreaker, waiting for him to say more. He was concentrating on his bond. "Sideswipe is a prisoner of Starscream right now. He says there is a human there who possess the Allspark power. He is with Jessica." Sunstreaker informed us. I think we all felt a weird combination of relief and terror. Jessica was alive. She was still a prisoner, but she was alive and with Sideswipe.

"Ask him if she's alright?" I requested.

Sunstreaker nodded and went quiet again. When he replied, it was with a grim frown. "She is alive but he says she has been through a lot. She is covered in human- what's the word? Blue? Block? Gah, human terminology is ridiculous. She is covered in human energon. He thinks she was tortured. Her injuries are healed, but he can see the pain in her optics." The anger swelled in me and I never wanted to rip out a Decepticons spark as I did now. "She wants me to tell you guys that she is mostly okay and that the thought of you, Cliffjumper, and you Ratchet, is what gets her through everything. She believes wholeheartedly that we'll rescue her."

"Tell her we will. We won't stop until she is home again."

"I feel like a messenger bot." Sunstreaker grumbled but did as I asked. Optimus asked him if they knew what their location was. "No. Both of them were passed out when brought aboard and neither has seen or heard anything that would tell them their destination."

"I expected as much. No matter, we will continue searching as we have then. At least we know Jessica is still alive and as well as she can be. She has proven to be strong and resilient." Optimus remarked and I agree with him. Jessica was an incredible human being who had proved herself to be smart and tough over and over again. I was incredible proud of my charge. Now I just needed her to be home.

Ratchet left the room, undoubtedly to return to his search. We all followed after him into the main room. The others looked up at our return, each shocked when they saw that Sunstreaker was alive and looked happier than anyone had ever seen him. "What's going on?" Arcee asked Optimus. "I thought Sunstreaker was done for."

"My brother is still alive. He was saved by the Allspark." Sunstreaker replied instead, and everyone perked up at the mention of Jessica. "She is alive and with my brother. I will do anything in my power to bring them both back here."

The three children cheered, giving each other hugs. I saw that they had tears in their eyes, usually a sign of sadness in humans. But I knew it could be a sign of happiness too.

We still had to find the Decepticons warship but I knew we were on the right path. We would find Jessica and we would bring her and Sunstreaker home. The Decepticons don't realize just how bad they messed up when they took her. They were about to find out just how ruthless I could be when you took someone I loved away from me.

 **Yay done! So I guess this pretty much did cover Predatory. Next one will be Sick Minds lol. But yay, Sideswipe! Sunstreaker is so happy now that he knows his brother is near! Can't wait to write their reunion. After saving Sideswipe, Jessica is now more intune with the Allspark energy. She now feels more comfortable with her newfound power and responsibility. Basically she no longer doubts Primus's decision to make her the Allspark, because she now realizes it was her destiny all along! Anyways, more to come soon enough!**

 **Until next time, my friends! Bye!**


	13. Chapter 13

**Hey guys! Welcome to lucky number thirteen! I got a bunch of fun stuff in store for you! You guys are probably anxious for Jessica to be reunited with the Autobots. I can't say if that'll happen in this chapter, you'll just have to read to find out! Trust me, this is going to be a good chapter.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Transformers. You do. Hahaha. Jk.**

 **Chapter Thirteen:**

Being locked up with Sideswipe was definitely a lot better than being alone. He was definitely a lot more talkative than Sunstreaker. The red mech wanted to learn everything about the Autobots here on Earth and how I came into contact with them.

"Well, Arcee was the first one I met. She's the only femme on the team but she's one hell of a warrior. Her and I don't really talk much though. I think she finds me irritating? Probably because I am always encouraging Cliff's recklessness." I giggled into my hand. "Personally I think she likes him and is jealous with how much time I spend with him."

"I've never met Arcee, but I've met her sister Chromia. Sunny and I worked with her sparkmate, Ironhide, for a little bit. We used to prank him all the time. He would get so angry." Sideswipe chuckled.

"I'd love to see _Sunny_ pulling pranks." I sniggered, dragging out the nickname. Sunstreaker did not seem like the kind of mech who'd let you get away with calling him Sunny. Something told me he probably hated it and would undoubtedly squish me if I ever called him that in person. It would be pretty funny to see his reaction though.

Sideswipe then prompted me to finish my story. "Well, I met Arcee because of this other human named Jack. My parents and I had just moved to J- err, our hometown, and I decided to explore the town. After realizing this was the smallest town in the universe, I decided to get some food. The place I stopped at was where Jack worked. Talked to him for a bit then left. I get halfway down the street when he comes riding past me on a motorcycle, screaming his head off in fear. So naturally, I chased off him."

"Naturally." Sideswipe grinned and I returned it.

"Anyway, long story short, I bumped into Jack again, got chased by some Decepticons- ended up smashing one of their windows with a pipe, pretty proud moment in my life-, got rescued by Arcee and the rest is history. We were chased into a channel. Arcee let us off and she transformed and fought against the Cons. This is when we met Raf, he'd been there playing with his toy cars. Bumblebee joined the fight and we got the hell out of there. The next day, we were invited to the base and yeah." I finished the story.

"Sounds like you had quite the adventure. I bet you'd never imagined that you would meet aliens when you moved."

I shook my head. "But I wished for something exciting to happen. I wasn't happy in my hometown. I was alone and ridiculed there. Now I have friends who are basically family. I may have freaky alien powers now, but hey, I'm happy so that's all that matters."

"Who else is there at the base?"

"Well, there's Bulkhead and Bumblebee."

"I don't know who Bulkhead is but I do know Bumblebee. He'd just joined the Autobots when I was captured by the Decepticons. I remembered thinking he was way too adorable to be fighting in this war. Then again, it was nearly impossible to not be involved somehow." Sideswipe sighed.

"Well, Bee still is pretty adorable but he's also a kick ass warrior. I've seen Bee take out so many Cons in the past." I chuckled and ran my hand through my hair. I desperately needed a shower. My hair was greasy and my skin was so oily from sweat. Plus the blood and energon that covered my body had dried and it was itchy and smelly. "Bulkhead was apart of the Wreckers before he joined up with Optimus."

Sideswipe nodded in recognition. "I know about the Wreckers. Sunstreaker and I wanted to join them when we were younglings. But Optimus Prime himself saved us when the Decepticons destroyed our city. We would have joined the Well of Sparks if Prime hadn't gotten us out of the way of a bomb. We left to join the Autobots shortly have that and haven't looked back since."

I smiled. Optimus had done a lot of incredible things it seemed. There was no bot better suited to take on the mantle of Prime. I wonder how many lives he saved on Cybertron. I imagined it was quite a bit. However, I knew there were even more lives lost. I couldn't imagine the guilt Optimus had to deal with, I'd never want to deal with that kind of burden. Then again, as the Allspark, I knew I might have to one day make a decision that would haunt me for the rest of my life.

"Optimus is a great leader." I mumbled and Sideswipe nodded in agreement. "We also have two medics now. The first one is First Aid. I haven't had a chance to talk to him much but he seems friendly enough. The other is Ratchet." I couldn't help the fond smile that spread when I said his name.

"Hmm, I've heard about First Aid, and I definitely know Ratchet the Hatchet." Sideswipe laughed. "He was Sunny and I's favorite bot to prank, even more so than Ironhide."

I snorted. "Don't let him hear you call him that. I've heard him tear into Sunstreaker a couple times for that nickname. I remember him telling me about you guys during one of our lessons. He definitely had quite a bit to say. You are not his favorite pair of bots." I cocked an eyebrow with an amused grin on my face. Sideswipe laughed again.

"You have no idea. Though something tells me there's more to your relationship with the medic than your letting on. That smile is definitely more than admiration. And don't think I've forgotten when you had me tell Sunny that he and Cliffjumper we're the two that got you through all of this. Cliffjumper is your guardian, so that makes sense, but what is Ratchet to you?" Sideswipe asked and I knew he was genuinely curious. I didn't see any disapproval or judgement in his stare so I figured it wouldn't hurt to tell him the truth.

I took a deep breath. "Ratchet and I… we're complicated. I do feel more than friendship for him, I think I love him. But we had a huge fight a couple weeks ago. I lied about something pretty serious and it hurt him. So we've barely spoken, except to argue. He didn't want me to go on the mission that got me kidnapped." I drew my legs to my chest and laid my head on my knees. "I miss his friendship though. I'm hoping to finally make amends if… when we get out of here."

"Don't worry, Jessica. I'm positive my brother and the Autobots will find us." Sideswipe assured me and I attempted to smile but I think it came out more like a grimace. "We _will_ get out of here and you _will_ make amends with Ratchet. I have zero doubt in my mind that he regrets all the time he spent angry at you. Something tells me if won't let you out of his sight for a while.

I giggled and nodded my head. "He and Cliffjumper both are going to ground me to the base. My parents are going to be so confused when I tell them I'm not coming home any time soon. I'll probably have to move into the silo."

"We can have sleepover." Sideswipe winked and I burst out laughing. I wasn't expecting him to say that. "Yes, we can have sleepover." I snorted and he joined me in laughing.

I was really glad to have a new friend in Sideswipe. He reminded me of Cliff in a lot of ways. They were both pretty goofy and knew how to make me laugh. Something told me they'd be pretty good friends. The three of us could probably cause all kinds of mayhem together. It's probably a good thing I wasn't a Cybertronian because I could only imagine the chaos we would get into. Here's hoping we get the chance to one day.

Sideswipe and I continued to talk about random things. He told me lots of stories from his days on Cybertron. He and Sunstreaker really loved to mess with bots and they're adventures were pretty amusing. They were also pretty badass fighters. Apparently they were so insync with one another because of their bond that, when fighting together, they were a nearly impossible to beat. I would love to see them in action one day. Actually, I would love to train with them. Imagine how much I'd improve if I had them helping me out.

When I brought the idea up, Sideswipe seemed pretty enthused by it. "My brother and I could definitely teach you a thing or two!" We made all kinds of plans for when we were free and I was pretty excited.

But first, we needed to get out of here. And when a bunch of alarms began sounding, indicating that there were Autobots on board, I knew that would be happening soon.

XxRebelWriterxX

 **Cliffjumper's POV**

Things were looking pretty grim around here. There still wasn't any sign of the Decepticon warship. I was happy that we now had a way to know if Jessica was okay, thanks to the bond between Sunstreaker and Sideswipe, but that didn't get us any closer to finding her. Communicating wasn't enough, I needed to see her, to hold her.

Jessica was more than just a charge, she was like my own sister. If she were an Autobot, I knew I'd form a sibling bond with her. And as such, I needed to protect her. Not being able to do a thing was slowly driving me mad.

To make matters worse, Optimus had gone on a mission with Ratchet. The ship they were on was full of deceased Autobots. They had been infected with the Cybonic plague and Prime had caught it. So now we had to watch as he slowly died because there was no cure for it. "Cybonic Plague was engineered in the Decepticon's biological warfare program… by Megatron himself." Ratchet was explaining to everyone.

Everyone was gathered around Optimus, including the humans. "You don't have a cure, do you?" Raf asked with a dejected frown. Optimus slowly turned to face Raf and said that there was no cure.

"Optimus, please. Save you strength." Ratchet begged with a sigh. I could see the amount of stress he was under. Between the search for Jessica and now this, it was amazing that he hadn't cracked yet. I knew the pressure was pretty intense. Jack gripped the railing and asked, "Would Megatron create a disease without a cure? I mean, what if he caught it by accident?"

"It's not like we can ask Megatron, Jack." Bulkhead sighed.

The main computer started to ding. Ratchet walked over to it and gasped at its results. "You're never going to believe this, but I finally found the location of the Decepticon warship." The medic said, his optics wide in disbelief. Both me and Sunstreaker straightened up. "I can bridge you guys to their location. Arcee, Bumblebee, you can search through their database and see if Megatron documented a cure. Cliffjumper, Sunstreaker, you know what to do."

"Yes, we do." I transformed my hand into a cannon, a determined look on my face. Optimus moaned. "Be quick everyone." Ratchet begged. Then he turned to me. "And bring her home. Please." He begged, his optics shining with emotion. I nodded, promising him that I would do everything in my power to bring Jessica home safely.

He typed in the coordinates and pulled the lever to activate the bridge. Everyone selected for the mission walked through without a glance back. When we made it, I nodded at the other two before following Sunstreaker through the halls. Because of his bond with his brother, I knew he would find them quickly.

There weren't many Cons walking around, which I thought was pretty suspicious. Still, we remained cautious and alert, our weapons raised in front of us. My spark beat wildly in anticipation. We were so close to finding them… to finding her.

The Decepticon warship was large, however, and neither of us knew where they would keep their prisoners.

We eventually did run into a small group of Cons. Sunstreaker and I took them out with ease. We needed to be quick and efficient, giving them no time to raise the alarm. This might be our only chance to get Sideswipe and Jessica, we weren't about to waste it.

We finally came across a guarded door. There were two Cons standing on either side. "Sideswipe is through there, I can feel him. The girl is still with him as well." Sunstreaker informed me quietly.

"We need to take out the guards quickly. They'll call for help as soon as they see us." I replied. He nodded and we prepared to attack, but before we could move, an alarm sounded. "Scrap! They must've found Bee and Arcee. We need to be-" Before I could finish talking, Sunstreaker ran towards the Cons, shooting at them as he went.

I followed after but he took them down fast. We opened the door and inside there were hundreds of prison cells. Sunstreaker knew where to go and he took off.

We were so close now.

XxRebelWriterxX

 **Jessica's POV**

When the alarm started going off, I knew it had to be the Autobots. One look at Sideswipe and my suspicion was confirmed. He had the largest smile at his face.

"My brother is near. He has your guardian with him." The red mech informed me. Hope blossomed in my chest. Cliff was here, they had found us. I always knew they would but now that they were so close, I couldn't be happier. I stood up, wobbling slightly on my still tender leg.

I wished there was a way for me to get out of this stupid tube. I was anxious to see my friends once more. Though there was no way I could be half as excited as Sideswipe was. He hadn't seen his brother in a couple of decades. At least it had only been a few days for me.

We heard the sound of Cybertronians running outside our cell. My heart sped up and I really hoped that was our bots. "Brace yourself." Sideswipe warned me. I didn't question him and quickly sat on the floor and laid my hands on the side of the tube.

Our cell door was blown away, smoke filling the room. When it cleared, I nearly cried at the sight of Cliffjumper and Sunstreaker. Cliff scanned the room and when he met mine, his optics light up. He ran over to me while Sunstreaker ran over to Sideswipe.

"Howdy partner. You have no idea how glad I am to see you." I said when he was near. Cliff grinned and untwisted the top of the tube.

"You are never leaving my sight again." My guardian decided as he lifted me out and brought me close to his face. I smiled meekly and hugged his neck. When I released him, we turned around to see Sunstreaker helping an unsteady Sideswipe up off the table. Though I healed all of his injuries that the Cons had inflicted over the years, he was still weak from being stuck to a table for Primus knows how long.

Cliff lifted me up to his shoulder and then went over to give Sunstreaker a hand. "Ratchet we need a bridge." He called over the comlink. He gave Ratchet their coordinates and we only had to wait a few seconds before a portal appeared.

We heard the telltale sign of approaching Decepticons. "Quickly!" Cliff exclaimed and the hurried through the portal, finally leaving the Decepticon ship behind.

When we arrived at the otherside of the portal, I couldn't help but cry in relief. I was finally home, back in the silo where I belonged. We were greeted by a loud cheer. I looked around and saw all of my friends, human and Autobot alike.

Cliff sat me down at the second floor landing and I was quickly swarmed by the humans. Miko was the first one to me. "I'm so glad you're finally home, girl! I've missed you so much!" Miko shouted in my ear as she hugged me tight. I laughed and hugged her back just as fiercely.

Next was Rafael. I knelt down to hug him and he sniffled. "I was so worried about you, Jess. I'm happy you're home, safe and sound." He said when he pulled back, his eyes shining with tears. "Thanks Raf, I missed you too. Very much." I informed him.

Then it was Jack who hugged me. "Don't ever do that again. You are my first true friend, Jess, and I couldn't handle losing you. This past couple days have been rough… on all of us." Jack also had tears in his eyes and I finally broke down completely. "I'm sorry Jack, I missed you so much. I thought about all of you everyday I was there. It's what got me through it." He smiled weakly and nodded before stepping to the side.

The last human to come up was Agent Fowler. "Welcome home, soldier. We were all very worried about you. But you survived and that's all any if us can do. You are strong and you are brave." He said before saluting me. I returned the gesture with a watery smile.

I was then greeted by each of the bots. Arcee was the first to approach me. "Welcome back kid. It wasn't the same without you. Please don't leave again, both Cliff and Ratchet were impossible to deal with." She told me, smiling slightly. I nodded, promising her that I had no intention on going through that again.

Next was Bulkhead. "Fowler was right, you're a strong girl Jess. I'm glad your back, safe and sound." He grinned and returned it. Since I couldn't understand Bee, he just offered his hand and brought me close to his face so that I could hug him. "Missed you too, Bee."

First Aid and Ratchet were in the medbay, tending to Optimus and checking over Sideswipe. Cliffjumper picked me back up and carried me that way. No doubt I would be thoroughly looked over before I could do anything else. I was nervous to see Ratchet again, but I also couldn't wait. I've missed him so much and we had so much to talk about.

When we walked in, First Aid was checking over Sideswipe and Ratchet was administering the cure to Optimus. It worked almost instantly and I watched as Optimus went from looking like he was inches from death, to looking lively once more. "Just take it easy, Optimus." Ratchet warned him when he sat up.

"Besides being pretty low on Energon, you're systems are all working as they should be. I honestly don't see anything wrong with you. Get some energon and some rest and you'll be good as new it no time." First Aid was telling Sideswipe. He looked surprised that he was in such good health and I knew that was because of me.

Sideswipe shot me a grateful smile and that focused First Aids attention on me. "Jessica!" He grinned and walked over to me and Cliff. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Ratchet turn to me when First Aid shouted my name but my nerves got the best of me and I focused on the bot in front of me.

"Hey Aid. It's really good to see you again." I smiled tiredly. I was really looking forward to a comfy bed. And a shower. I can't believe everyone hugged me when I was still covered in blood and energon. And I smelled. Really bad.

"It's good to see you again too. Cliff you can set her on the berth by Optimus. I'm positive Ratchet will want to look over her himself." First Aid winked and I felt my face heating up. My heart sped up as we walked towards him and I looked down at my feet, biting my lip nervously. I was terrified of what he'd say to me.

Cliff set me down on the berth and I looked over at Optimus. He was watching me curiously, a relieved smile on his face. "Optimus, it's great to see you again." I cheerfully told the Prime.

"You as well, Jessica. You had us all worried, but we are thankful to have you home once more." Optimus replied, hours voice hoarse but happy all the same.

Finally I managed to work up the nerve to meet Ratchets gaze. My heart fluttered when I saw the look in his optics. It was a mixture between relief, pride, and… love. The love outshone every other emotion I saw. I felt a lump in my throat when I thought about how worried and scared he must have been the past few days.

"Ratchet, I-" I couldn't finish, my voice cracking up as a fresh wave of tears gathered in my eyes. I couldn't find the words to tell him just how sorry I was and how much he meant to me. I wanted him to know that he was everything to me.

"I know, Jessica. Me too." He whispered and that was enough for now. We would need to have a serious conversation at some point, but for the time being, we just wanted to enjoy the moment of being reunited.

Ratchet scanned me. He frowned at the results. "The energon in your blood had nearly doubled! And the Allspark energy has consumed you. You practically reek of the stuff. I've never seen anything like it."

I shrugged. "After I saved Sideswipe, I felt more connected to the Allspark. I now understand why I was chosen. It was my destiny all among. Primus created the cube knowing one day I would possess its power. I don't know what the future holds, but I do know that I'm right where I belong." I looked at Ratchet seriously. "I may not have wanted to be part of your war, but now I know that's it's much bigger than that. This isn't about you guys, it's about saving life and creating something beautiful. I'm proud to be the Allspark. And I will do everything in my power to help the Autobots rebuild their home. That is a promise."

Ratchet was staring at me intensely and I held his gaze. I needed him to understand that I regretted the words I said during our fight. I regretted ever letting that night happen. Now I knew I couldn't keep secrets if I wanted a relationship to happen one day. So I promised myself that I would tell him everything.

Somehow I knew he got my message. And just like that, I knew everything would be okay. We had a long journey ahead of us, but I knew we would make it work. I didn't know for sure if Ratchet and I would have more than a friendly relationship, but that was okay. I had him back in my life. I would apologize to him and everything would be fine.

The future was a scary place but I was ready to face it with the Autobots and my human friends by my side.

 **Short chapter again but this was an important one so I hoped you enjoyed it! Yes, Jessica and Ratchet have to have a pretty important conversation and that will happen soon. Just not in the way you guys think. Cliff also has some words for her so that'll be fun. And I'm sure Optimus will want to throw something in there as well. I'll see you guys soon with chapter fourteen! Time for me to go to bed. Night!**


	14. Chapter 14

**Helloooooo party peeeople! It's time for yet another chapter! After Jessica's return, I'm sure you guys are dying to read her and Ratchet's serious conversation. I hope this chapter somewhat satisfies you. Maybe. If not, oh welllll. There's still twelve chapters to go before this is over.**

 **So strap in, my friends! Time for another wild ride.**

 **Disclaimer: Things I own: XBox One, computer, bunny rabbit, toiletries. Things I do not own: Basically everything here! I'm just momentarily borrowing them for yours and my entertainment!**

 **Chapter Fourteen:**

There was pretty much an unspoken agreement to discuss my capture and where we go from there at a later time. And that was perfectly fine with me. All I really wanted was a shower and some food, because believe it or not, Cons were horrible hosts. I hadn't eaten in three days and I was _starving._

Ratchet, however, was determined to do a thorough medical examination. And because of my newfound strong connection to the Allspark, he wanted to run all kinds of tests. "It's amazing, you're blood is now eighty-five percent energon. It shouldn't even be possible! If any other human had this much energon flowing through their veins, they'd be dead." Ratchet rambled in bewilderment.

"I'm not a normal human, Ratchet. I'm the Allspark. I was chosen by Primus himself to harness incredible powers. I'm not sure why I have energon in my blood, or what it means for my future, but I do know that this is the path I'm meant to be on." I sighed, having already said this several times in different ways.

Ratchet shook his head. "I get that, it's just not scientifically possible. You are a unique case, Jessica. I just want to study you."

I groaned. "Can you study me tomorrow? I'm literally covered in my own blood, vomit, and Sideswipe spilled energon. I just want a shower." My stomach rumbled loudly, reminding me of the other pressing matter I needed to address. "And food. Food is a priority."

The Autobot medic still looked hesitant. But finally he nodded. "Alright, but tomorrow I will take all the tests I deem necessary and you will not complain."

"Yes, sir!" I saluted before quickly scampering off to the showers. When I entered the bathroom, I saw a pair of leggings and band t-shirt on the sink. I smiled, knowing that Miko was the one who provided me with clothes. Upon further inspection, I also found some undergarments as well. I really loved Miko in that moment.

I quickly stripped out of my sticky, gross clothes and tossed them in the garbage. I never wanted to see them again. Then I turned on the shower and, once it heated up, I climbed underneath the spray. The hot water felt like heaven against my skin. I washed off all the dirt and grim I had collected over the past several days. Then I washed my hair with shampoo and conditioner. It felt ten times lighter without all the grease. Finally I shaved what needed to be shaved.

When I stepped out of the shower, I felt like a new person. Using the provided towel, I dried myself off. I ran the towel through my dripping hair to get it as non sopping wet as possible. Then I got dressed and brushed my hair and teeth.

After I was finished, I smiled at my reflection. I looked like myself once more.

I left the bathroom and went back into the main room. There was music going and it looked like there was a party in full swing. Everyone was laughing and talking, seeming relaxed and happy. I imagined it was the first time in several days that they could be like this. I felt bad that I had no doubt worried the hell out of each of them.

Miko was the first to notice me and she skipped over. "Jessica, you look so much better! Come on, we're celebrating! The boss bot is doing better, Sunstreaker is finally reunited with his brother, and you're home safe and sound. So of course we needed to have a party!"

"Of course." I laughed and allowed her to pull me by the arm over to the others. "I really hope this party includes food though. Because literally, I'm dying of hunger."

First Aid frowned. "You are not dying. In fact, despite your predicament the past few days, you are healthier than every human in existence." I laughed and shook my head before informing him that it was just an expression. He was still confused so I had to explain it to him. "You humans are very confusing."

"Truth." I grinned. "But food."

Miko lead me to a table where there was an assortment of soups and broths. "We wanted to do a taco bar, but Ratchet insisted we go with something easier on your stomach. So soup it is. Don't worry, I've taste tested all of it, it's pretty good." Miko winked.

"Thanks." I giggled before grabbing a bowl and filling it with some chicken noodle soup. Someone had set up a table for the humans to sit at to it. Miko, Raf, Jack, and Agent Fowler all grabbed bowls of their favorite soup and joined me. Dinner was a happy affair, making me realize just how badly I missed them. Three days might not seem long, but it had felt like an eternity.

After our stomachs were full, everyone hit the dance floor. The Autobots mostly laughed at the humans as we did funky dance moves together. We even managed to get Fowler out on the dance floor to do the Cha Cha Slide and Macarena. I really hoped someone recorded that because it was something I would enjoy seeing over and over again.

It was around 10:30 p.m. that the kids had to leave. They'd warn their parents that they'd be out late, but didn't want to push it. After all, you couldn't help Team Prime if you were grounded. Thinking about the kids parental issues reminded me of my own. I knew that I was now a target by the Decepticons so I couldn't go home. The Decepticons no doubt knew of my identity and I worried that they'd go after my parents to get to me.

So before Agent Fowler left, I pulled him to the side to talk.

"I need you to send my parents away, into the witness protection program. The Cons will no doubt be after me and I don't want to risk my parents life because of my connection to the Autobots and the Allspark." I didn't ask, but demanded.

Agent Fowler understood though. "I figured we might have to do this. I will go and collect them myself. You obviously cannot leave the base nor can I bring them here. So if we do this, I'm not sure when, or if, you'd ever see them again." He warned me. I took a shaky breath and nodded. "Alright." He laid a hand on my shoulder. "I'm sorry it has to come to this."

I tried not to show any emotion, but I couldn't stop the tears from gathering in the corners of my eyes. "It's for the best, Agent Fowler. I chose my path the moment I chased after Jack Darby and became associated with the Autobots. I don't regret a moment of it. Losing my parents will be hard, but it is worth it to know they will be safe."

Fowler nodded and squeezed my shoulder once before letting go. "Please, call me Will. I think you've more than earned the right." Agent Fow-, Will smiled gently before opening his arms, offering me a comforting hug. I accepted it with a choked sob. He held me tightly for several minutes as I cried into his arms. I knew that sending my parents away was the right thing to do. They wouldn't know why, but it was best this way. Still, it sucked knowing that I wouldn't even get to say goodbye.

I pulled away and wiped the tears from my eyes. "Thank you, Will. Take care of my parents, please. And let them know that I love them and that I hope that someday I could find them again and explain why this had to happen."

"Of course."

He left after that, taking the elevator up to where his helicopter waited. Cliffjumper joined me the moment he was gone. "You okay?" He asked and I knew he had overheard the entire conversation.

"No, but I will be. It was the right thing to do." I smiled sadly at my guardian. "I think I'm ready to go to bed though. It's been a really long and emotional past couple of days. I just really want to sleep for like a week. You think I could get away with that?" My guardian just chuckled and I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, yeah, I know you guys would never let me. Will you carry me to my room. I'm too lazy to walk." I pouted.

Cliffjumper rolled his optics, but I could see the amused smirk that he tried to hide. "Is this how it's going to be from now on, me giving you free rides around the base?" He asked, offering his hand anyways. I nodded my head with a grin. "Basically, yeah."

XxRebelWriterxX

 _I was once again in one of my dream vision things. Only this time, instead of the lake, I was standing in front of my house in Jasper. The sky was dark but I could still see pretty well. I looked up at my house and wondered why Primus would bring me here._

" _You needed to see this. I am sorry." His voice was like a whisper. I frowned, wondering what he could possibly mean by that._

 _A moment later, I got my answer in the form of Agent Fowler. He pulled up in front of my house and got out of the black SUV. Two other agents got out as well. Fowler made his way towards my house while they stayed by the car. "Sir?" I asked as he passed me but he either couldn't hear me or ignored me for some reason._

 _Fowler knocked on the door and after a minute of waiting, my dad answered it. I could see my mom behind him. "Agent Fowler, what a surprise? Is our daughter with you? We expected her back by now." My dad asked but Fowler just shook his head._

" _I'm afraid the two of you need to come with me." Was his only reply. My parents exchanged looks before my dad asked why. "I can't tell you here. All I can tell you is that you're in danger if you stay here. So we need to take you into custody. If you'll follow me, I swear I'll answer any questions you have."_

 _My mom pushed passed my dad and crossed her arms. "I'm not going anywhere until you tell me where my daughter is."_

" _Ma'am, this is a matter of national sec-"_

" _I don't care!" My mother interrupted fiercely. "Jessica isn't military, you said she was a civilian worker who wasn't doing anything dangerous. You said she didn't have clearance. So what have you done with my child?"_

 _Fowler sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "As I said, I'll explain everything. Jessica isn't completely military but she is highly trained and specialized. She is a very important asset, one that our enemies have taken notice of. Right now, she is in hiding and we must hide you as well. Her cover has been blown and we're afraid that they might come after you to get to her."_

 _My dad shook his head. "Jessica has worked with you for only a few months. I know she didn't do any sort of training before we came to Jasper so how can she be highly trained? And just what is she supposedly specialized in?"_

 _It took me a minute to understand what was going on. Primus was giving me closure. He knew it was possible that I wouldn't see my parents again. He was letting me say goodbye. Man, I didn't realize how difficult my parents would be though. They knew I worked with the military but they didn't know why or what I did. They couldn't know. I wondered what exactly Fowler planned on telling them._

" _Again, I can't explain this here, it's too public. Please, come with me. Jessica sent me herself to get you guys." Fowler replied, exasperated._

" _Why didn't she come herself?" Mom asked and I could see her eyes were glassy with tears. Oh momma. However, they both stepped out of the house and my dad closed the doors behind them. Good, they were going with him. Despite being a ghost, I reached forward to touch my mom's shoulder as she and my dad passed me. She shivered and looked directly at me, but I knew she couldn't actually see me._

 _The agent closest to the car opened the door for my parents. "She is currently being debriefed and prepped for relocation." Fowler replied before closing the door, with my parents know safely inside the vehicle._

 _Fowler sighed in relief, rolling his eyes a bit as he turned from the window. His phone started ringing in his pocket. "Get the car going, I'll be there in a minute." Fowler ordered the men. They nodded and one hopped in the back with my parents and the other in the driver's seat. The car started up as Fowler took the phone from his pocket and answered it, walking several feet away from the vehicle._

 _Then I heard the most peculiar noise. I looked up as something whizzed passed me. I realized what it was a second too late._

 _A missile hit the SUV, and it exploded into a fiery blaze. Fowler was thrown forward and hit the porch of our house. He was knocked out instantly. My attention was on the burning vehicle that had contained my parents. "NO!"_

XxRebelWriterxX

"NO!"

I shot up out of my bed, my heart beating rapidly within my chest. My nightmare replayed in my mind over and over again. My nightmare that wasn't a nightmare, but a vision from Primus. Could it be true?

I threw the covers off me and raced out of my room without putting slippers on. I ran straight to the main room where I knew everyone would be located if something had truly happened. When I got in there, I saw Ratchet tending to Optimus. The others were around but no one seemed to be in a panic. Okay, maybe it had been a bad dream.

"Is everything alright?" I was trying to catch my breath when Ratchet asked me that question. I looked around again and noticed that everyone was looking at me worriedly. "Y-yeah, just… just a really bad dream." I replied and he nodded in understanding.

Miko skipped over to me. "Good, you're up! Bumblebee and Bulkhead were just about to start playing the Cybertronian version of basketball. You can sit with us." Miko grinned and dragged me over to Jack and Raf. I waved at them and the game began. Bulkhead made a goal, which caused Miko to cheer.

"Come on, best two out of three?" Bulk grinned at Bee and threw the ball at him. Bee caught in and dodged around the larger mech, heading for the goal. "Bee, you're in the clear! Dunk it Bee!" Raf cheered for his guardian.

Bee paused right in front of it. He all waited a minute, but he didn't move. "Bee, quite hogging the ball!" Bulk laughed, completely unprepared for what happened next. Bee spun around and threw the ball at Bulkhead, who barely managed to dodge it. It crashed loudly into the wall. Miko blew her whistle like a referee and shouted that it was a foul. "Bee, hoops over there." Bulkhead reminded him, rubbing the back of his head.

Bee beeped at him and I looked over at Raf curiously. I wish I could understand him. I was the Allspark, for pete's sake! I should be able to understand Cybertronian by now. Raf looked worried. "Bee, you okay?" He asked and Bee beeped again while holding up two of his digits. "Yeah… three out of five." Raf nodded.

After they finished the game, everyone split up. I didn't see Cliff anywhere so I walked over to Ratchet and First Aid. "Mind if I hang out over here for a bit?" I asked, slightly nervous. Ratchet and I still hadn't had our talk so I wasn't sure where I stood with him.

However, he smiled kindly. "Of course." He offered me a hand and I climbed in. Then he lifted me up to his shoulder to sit. They were talking about stuff that went way passed my knowledge, so I pulled my phone out of my pocket. Though nothing had been said, I still couldn't get that dream out of my head. Something told me it was a vision and that scared me. Could my parents really be gone.

My fingers shook as I pulled up the Jasper news. Then my heart stopped when I saw the trending article. "R-Ratchet." My voice shook. They both looked at me, frowning with worry. "Put on the news. _Now!_ "

His optics grew and shrank with worry but he quickly did as I said. A video popped up and I recognized my house and the charred remains of an SUV in front. "It happened around 12:45 last night. A government SUV exploded, seemingly out of nowhere, in this quiet Nevada town. According to my sources, there were four victims, who have yet to be identified, in the car when it exploded. One bystander, a man name Special Agent William Fowler, was injured in the blast but is expected to make a full recovery. We'll keep you updated as more of this story unfolds-" I tuned out then.

"T-that's my house." I whispered. I looked down at my phone, feeling too shocked to even cry. "Fowler went there to pick my parents up because I asked him too. I knew the Cons would be after me… but I can't believe it…"

I didn't speak again after that.

Vaguely I could recall Ratchet informing Optimus and the team about what had happened. Ratchet handed me over to Cliffjumper when he walked in, but I still didn't react. I wasn't sure if I even knew how to feel in that moment. All I could think about was my parents and how they were gone now. I would never see them again.

Cliff tried to talk to me, but I didn't respond. I couldn't. Because I had nothing to say. Was there even anything that I could say?

I always knew that being the Allspark was dangerous. Hell, being involved with the Autobots was dangerous no matter what. But I held a power within me that would always make me and anyone close to me a target. My parents lost their lives because of me.

I couldn't change who I was. Being the Allspark had always been my destiny. Even if I hadn't chased after Jack that fateful day, somehow I would've ended up here. Primus chose me before I even existed. But if I had known the cost, would I have elected to walk away from it all? Perhaps if I hadn't chased Jack, maybe I would've been ignorant to this war. Maybe the powers within me would have continued to remain dormant in me. I could've lived a normal life with my parents.

But then, I would've missed out on so much.

The Autobots were my family now too. I loved them. And despite losing my parents, I would never chose to give them up. Love had always been a weakness for me, but it's what made me human. That's why Primus chose a human to carry the Allspark power. The love I felt would always keep me on the straight path.

But know I understood what Primus meant when he warned me against falling in love. Anyone associated with me would forever be a target against me. The Autobots were strong enough to deal with those implication, but was I truly prepared for them to lay down their lives for me? No I wasn't.

And Ratchet. I loved him with everything in me. But being with me was like signing your own death warrant. They would use him against me. And I would break, everytime. Because he mattered to me more than anything else in this world.

Cliffjumper left me in my room, telling me to get some sleep. I wasn't sure how long it had been since my parents confirmed death, but I just didn't care anymore. I was lost. I've never felt this hopeless before in my entire life. For the first time since I gained these powers, I realized just how dangerous I was to be around.

And I didn't know if I could put anyone else in harm's way.

My bedroom door opened. I was sitting on my bed, staring straight ahead. The door shut and I heard footsteps walking up to my bed. They sat beside me. I didn't have to look, I could feet that it was Ratchet's holoform beside me.

"I wasn't even ten years old when they sent me away." My voice sounded low and raspy. Ratchet wrapped an arm around my shoulder and I snuggled into his side. I shouldn't have, because it would only hurt us more. But in that moment, I wanted to be selfish, for five minutes I needed to be. "It was the weekend before my birthday and my grandparents had come into town. They wanted to celebrate the big ten, you know, finally reaching the double digits. I was so excited.

"My mom had warned them about my fits. You remember when I told you the story about the lake and the fits I had because of it? They had only gotten worse a year later. My grandparents played it off, not thinking that it was that serious. Mom and dad left me in their care while they went to get my birthday present. It was going to be a puppy, something I had wanted for years. Ten minutes after they left, and I had one of my fits.

"Grandma freaked out. She thought I was having some kind of seizure. They called nine one one before even informing my parents. When I came to, it was in the ambulance on the way to the hospital. I was so scared." My breath shuddered. I reached up to wipe away a stray tear. "Mom and dad had been thinking about sending me away for awhile, I guess, but they were so reluctant. Outside of my fits, I was a perfectly normal, happy, healthy little girl. But grandma and grandpa demanded something be done.

"Three days later, I was released from the hospital. I was taken straight to the mental institution. My parents hadn't even shown up, they had my grandparents take me. Mom later informed me that it was too hard for them to deal with, but what about me? I was dropped off on my tenth birthday, alone, afraid… abandoned.

"My parents didn't visit me for three months. I got the occasional letter, but no phone calls or visits. I truly thought they no longer wanted me. The institution was a horrible place too. Everyone, including the nurses, looked at me as if I were some kind of freak. My first fit happened in the middle of the cafeteria, two days after I had arrived. After that, no one would go near me. The doctors talked to me a bit, but I knew they thought I was crazy. I was mostly kept sedated in a small room resembling a prison cell. That was how I spent my childhood."

I looked up at Ratchet. He looked absolutely horrified by my story and I didn't blame him. I knew how awful my past was. "I had teach to myself how to control my fits, no one else was after all. It took some time, seven years in fact. But soon, I could recognize the warning signs. I learned how to push them down, and I pushed them down so deep that I haven't had a fit since I was about sixteen years old. It took some time to convince the doctors that I was good now, but they observed me and realized that I was okay. So I was released just before my seventeenth birthday.

"My parents were so happy to have me home again, but I couldn't help but resent them. It took me some time to get to the point where I could show them any affection, but I never trusted them again. After going through that hell for seven years, I learned that I couldn't trust anyone but myself. If I couldn't trust the two people who supposedly cared about and loved me the most, how could I ever trust anyone ever again?"

I leaned away from Ratchet, causing him to release me. Then I tucked one leg under my body and turned to face him. "That's why I never fully trusted you, Ratchet. I didn't know how too. All of you were strangers to me, but then I started to care about you guys and it was obvious that it was returned. When I realized I loved you, and you me, I got so scared. Because last time I loved someone, it was my parents, and you saw how that turned out. I hid things from you and pushed you away because I couldn't bare to feel that pain again." I reached up and cuffed his holoforms cheek. He laid a hand on my own. "When I thought I lost you, it was worse than any pain I'd ever endured. My parents abandoning me had nothing on losing you, Ratchet. And when I was kidnapped, and dying, I realized exactly what I had done wrong. And I knew I had to fix it."

I withdrew my hand and looked away. "But, Ratchet, I can't do this."

"Jessica-" He started to say, speaking for the first time, but I held up a hand to stop him.

"Ratchet I will always care about you, but I can't be with you. I'm the Allspark. For the rest of my life, someone is always going to try and possess me. They will use the things I love most against me. What if they captured you? I would destroy everyone and anything in order to keep you safe. You're the most important thing to me. If they knew that, you would never be safe and if anything happened to you…" I trailed off and sighed heavily. "And what if, by some miracle, the Allspark and Primus gifts us a child? That child would be in danger from the moment they are born. You might be able to forgive me if you're captured and tortured, but could you if it was a child, our child, that was captured and tortured and maybe even killed?

"Maybe you could, you probably wouldn't even blame me, but I would never be able to forgive myself. I'm not just a person, I'm apart of an ancient artifact with powers that even I can't comprehend. I can't love someone and risk losing them. So please, don't ask me to."

Ratchet was quiet when I finished my story. I didn't look at him but I could feel his stare. "I understand where you're coming from, Jessica. But you need to understand that I do love you more than life itself. And I would gladly give my life for you. You're grieving right now, so I won't argue with you. Just know that I will always be here for you. And, if one day you change your mind, I will still be right here, waiting for you." He promised me. Then he leaned forward and kissed the side of my head. "Get some sleep."

He faded out and I allowed my guard to completely fall. Sobs racked my entire frame and I collapsed on my bed, drawing my knees to my chest. Ratchet was too good for me, but I couldn't have him. He would understand one day. I was a danger to him and to everyone else I got close too.

But damn it, saying all that had hurt so much.

XxRebelWriterxX

When I woke up the next morning, I really didn't want to leave my bed. But I knew that if I stayed there, I would never move again. So I pushed myself up and tossed the covers to the side. I walked over to my dresser and picked out a long t-shirt and leggings to wear for the day. Then I went into the bathroom to take care of business, change, and brush my teeth and hair. Once that was done, I walked to the front room.

I noticed Bee was in some kind of stasis shutdown with Raf hanging out beside him. I could hear Ratchet and First Aid talking somewhere close by but I would rather talk with Raf. It was pretty surprising to see him here. "Raf, shouldn't you be at school?" I asked.

Raf smiled kindly at me. "Yeah but Bee never picked me up so I came to the base instead. He's been having weird visions of Megatron so Ratchet forced him into stasis. I didn't want to leave him so I'm just hanging out here until he wakes up." He replied and I nodded in understanding before asking if I could join him. I noticed that no one was around so I asked him where they were. "They went on some mission to the Arctic. Something about Starscream melting the ice to get to energon?"

"Ah." I nodded. I watched Rafael mess around with his computer, though my mind was far away. I didn't notice when Ratchet and First Aid arrived until the first one spoke. "Rafael… Jessica. We are going to the vault to find parts to repair this." Ratchet held up a crushed… something. "You know what that means."

"Don't touch anything." Rafael and I said together. He nodded, before shooting me a look that made my heart flutter. Then the two of them walked away.

Not even a minute after they'd disappeared, Bumblebees optics suddenly came online. "Bee?" I asked, catching Raf's attention. Bee got off the berth he was on and walked away. "Wait!" Raf and I yelled as we ran after him. He set the groundbridge and pulled the lever. We watched dumbfounded as he walked through.

"What did you two do?" Raf and I looked back at Ratchet and shrugged helplessly. We explained to him that we did nothing, he just stood up and left. "He was in power down! Where does he think he's off to?"

Raf and I ran to the second floor landing and over to the monitor. Ratchet was messing with it, looking up where Bee went to. "These are the coordinates of our previous battle with Megatron's undead." Ratchet frowned. Why would Bee be going there? Raf suggested calling Optimus, but Ratchet shook his head. "Optimus is busy preventing the polar ice cap from melting. We need to handle this on our own." He opened the bridge again, but before he could walk forward, Bee walked back inside. "Bumblebee, what have you been doing?" Ratchet grabbed his arm and that's when we noticed that he was carrying something. "Dark energon?" He looked back up at Bee just before Bee pushed him into the control panel.

"Ratchet!" I gasped and pulled Raf behind me. "Bumblee, what are you doing?"

I shivered at the dark look Bee gave us. He walked over and picked us up. Then he placed us on a vent, far above the ground. "Bee, you have to fight whatever is making you do this!" Raf pleaded. Bee gave no indication that he heard him. Instead, he once again set the groundbridge and disappeared.

Ratchet groaned and we looked over at him. "Ratchet, are you okay?" I asked him worriedly. The mech in question pushed himself up and leaned against the panel. "I'm fine. More importantly, is Bumblebee? I fear the time spent in Megatron's mind is causing him to think like a Decepticon." Ratchet pushed away from the control panel and walked over to us. He offered us his hand and we both hopped onto it.

"Bee's not a con." Raf shook his head.

Ratchet nodded. "Agreed, but we need to find out what exactly Bumblebee intends to do with that shard." Ratchet paused for a moment and frowned. "The only one who knew of the energon was Megatron." Raf asked if Bee had the Decepticon Lords memories, but Ratchet shook his head. "Worse, Megatron is occupying Bumblebee's mind."

The medic began walking once more. "What!?" Raf and I exclaimed at the same time. Ratchet set us down and typed into the computer some more. "How could I have been such a fool! The psychic patch acts as a two way conduit. When Bumblebee returned to his own mind, Megatron followed. And now Bumblebee… Megatron, has bridged to almost the same coordinates Optimus used."

"Psychic Patch?" I frowned. I wasn't there whenever that must have happened. It was probably while I had been a prisoner. Neither one of them answered me though.

Ratchet opened up the bridge once more. "Stay here."

"No!" Raf growled and Ratchet turned back to him surprised. "Bumblebee needs me." He pleaded. Ratchet sighed and walked back over to us. "Of course he does." Ratchet offered him his hand before looking at me curiously.

"I'll stay here and be groundbridge operator. Is First Aid still in the back?" I asked and Ratchet nodded. "Cool, I'll inform him what's up. Go get Bee back." The two of them walked into the portal and I shut it off behind them. It was going to be a long wait, I could feel it. Hopefully they would be okay though.

XxRebelWriterxX

It took them about thirty minutes to call for a groundbridge. When I opened it, it wasn't just Ratchet, Rafael, and Bee who came through, it was all the Autobots. Cliffjumper made a beeline for me when he saw I was out.

"Hey, how you feeling?" He asked with a gentle smile. I shrugged my shoulders and returned it. "I'm hanging in there." Thankfully, Cliff left it at that.

Cliff then frowned. "There's bad news though." My heart sank at that. Just what I needed, more bad news. "Megatron is officially back. Things are about to get a whole lot more complicated. No doubt he'll soon be informed of you and if that's the case…"

"I'll be in even more trouble." I sighed. "Figures. Looks like I'm gonna have to get used to being in this silo, huh? Can't exactly risk Megatron finding me, now can I?" I chuckled dryly. Cliff looked apologetic but I just shook my head. "Don't worry about it, Cliff. I'm in danger whether he's alive or not. This doesn't really change much for me."

That wasn't entirely true. Megatron was way more of a threat than Starscream could ever hope to be. If he got ahold of me? Well, that could be a disaster. That could never happen. The thought of being grounded to the base sucked majorly, but I knew we couldn't risk me falling into the Con's hands. This was my life now, whether I liked it or not, and I was just going to have to get used to it.

Things just got a whole lot more serious.

 **Ugh, this chapter took me way too long to complete. But I did it! Finally.**

 **So, yeah, how many of you hate me right now? Killing Jessica's parents wasn't exactly an easy choice to make, but I needed something to make her realize just how dangerous it was to be associated with her. The Cons killed her parents out of rage because she got away. It was a warning to her as well as a way to move her relationship with Ratchet in this direction.**

 **Now I know what you're thinking. What the actual hell? Did she really just confess that she loved him, only to tell him she could never be with him? Yes. Yes she did. Jessica realized a lot while she was captured by the Cons, but losing her parents reminded her that she wasn't just a person anymore. She's power.**

 **But don't worry, this story does have a happy ending. Just stick with it! Until next time, my friends!**


	15. Chapter 15

**Alright guys it's time for one of my favorite episodes. I like how it's more centered on the kids. Jessica hasn't had much of a chance to interact with the kids since she was rescued from the Decepticons so here's her chance! Hope you guys enjoy the chapter!**

 **Disclaimer: Nope. I still don't have the rights to the Transformers Universe. I'm just visiting.**

 **Chapter Fifteen:**

A week had passed since my parents were taken from me by the Decepticons. I couldn't go to the funeral, for obvious reasons, but the Autobots had a memorial session for me. I was grateful that they were willing to do that for me. It reminded me that I wasn't the only one who thought of them as family, they thought I was too.

Cliffjumper stayed by my side during the whole thing. Special Agent Fowler, who was released from the hospital with just a concussion and a couple bumps and bruises, attended as well and did most of the talking. I wrote some words and he said them for me.

Each of the kids spoke a couple words too. They had all met my parents at least a few times since meeting the Autobots. I invited them over for dinner several times. All of them said the same things, that my parents made them feel welcomed and loved in our home. Mom and dad had been good at that.

The service ended with Optimus speaking. "I never met your parents, Jessica, but I know they were good people. If someone could raise a daughter as honorable and true as you, then I know they have a pure heart. They may be gone from this world, but I know they will forever live on in your memories and in your heart. You are surrounded by people who love you and we will be here for you until the end of time. You are strong, Jessica, and I know that they would be very proud of you."

Optimus's words had me tearing up.

That had happened two days ago. It was a Saturday afternoon and all three of the children were visiting. I sat next to Miko on the couch. She was drawing a picture and I was scrolling through my phone bored. I could hear Jack and Raf talking, but I wasn't sure what about.

The bots were all around in the base, doing who knows what. I knew Ratchet was messing around on the computer and that Optimus was near him but that was it. They were probably training or something. Which, speaking of training, I really needed to get into the habit of doing that again. I knew Cliff was giving me a break after all the emotional turmoil I've dealt with in the past couple weeks, but I needed that outlet again. I'll have to bring it up to him.

I also really needed to talk to Ratchet about resuming our training as well. Despite me telling him we couldn't ever be together, things between us were actually good. There was some slight awkwardness the first day, but I think both of us were determined to stay friends. So now we settled into a pretty steady friendship.

However, I was nervous about asking him. I didn't think he would say no but I was still scared. I was happy having his friendship back and I didn't want anything to ruin that. Now that he knew about my past, we had sort of an understanding. Really, I was just overthinking it all.

Man up and ask him, Jessica.

I just myself off the couch and walked over to the railing in front of the computer. "Hey Ratchet, can I ask you something?" I inquired nervously.

Ratchet smiled encouragingly. "Of course, Jessica. You can ask me anything."

"Heh, okay. Um… I was just, you know, wondering if… if maybe, we could, um-" I took a deep breath. "I was wondering i-if we could start our lessons up again? I miss learning about Cybertronians from you. The Allspark tells me a lot, but I don't understand most of it. I need a teacher and you're the best one I've ever had."

The medic grinned and I noticed the relieved gleam in his optics. "I was wondering when you would ask me. Yes, I think that would be acceptable." Ratchet paused before smiling tenderly. "I've missed our lessons as well."

My cheeks heated up and I looked away. I tried to ignore the butterflies in my stomach. I really needed to learn how to control my emotions. If I was going to keep things platonic between us, I really couldn't get all mushy any time he said something remotely flattering to me. It would just make all of this even more difficult.

Before I could get a chance to reply, the computer dinged. Ratchet turned to it and then frowned when he saw the result. "I had hoped that my growing expertise on the subject would remain purely academic, but though faint, this is clearly a dark energon signal. And it's moving fast." He informed Optimus.

"Megatron." Optimus concluded.

"Well he certainly works fast, doesn't he? Only been a week since his resurrection and already he's causing trouble. The question is, though, where could he have found more dark energon?" I wondered out loud.

"And what's he going to do with it, recruit a new army of the undead?" Bulkhead asked as he, Arcee, Cliff, the twins and Bee approached. Miko dropped her picture and looked up curiously. "Zombiecon." She whispered in awe. I looked at her suspiciously. Hopefully she wasn't going to do something stupid. I knew the bots were going to go check out the signal and I feared that she would follow them.

"We cannot rule out the possibility. Opinion?" Optimus looked around at everyone gathered, myself included. Ratchet thought it seemed so considering he was heading towards the site of Skyquake's death. "Megatron has barely emerged from stasis and it seems he's already making up for lost time. Bumblebee, Cliffjumper, Bulkhead, Sideswipe, Sunstreaker, and Ratchet, prepare to roll out." Optimus commanded.

Ratchet looked surprised to be included. "Me?"

"If we are dealing with dark energon, I may require your abilities. Arcee-" Optimus began but Arcee understood what he wanted. "Groundbridge operator. Got it." She turned to the screen and activated the bridge.

I walked over to Jack and Raf. Both of them were giving Miko suspicious looks, I wasn't the only one who expected her to do something stupid. The Autobots disappeared through the groundbridge. As soon as they did, she jumped up and bolted. "Crap!" I muttered when Jack and Raf took off after her.

Logically, I knew I shouldn't go as well. I was a target and I knew if Megatron saw me, he would snatch me up faster than I could say banana. But my instinct to protect the kids overthrew my common sense and I quickly chased after them as well. I knew Cliff and Ratchet were both going to lecture me for this. I saw Jack grab Miko's arm, but she jerked out of it. I saw something fly from her pocket but before I could register what it was, we were on the other side.

"Miko, what the hell!" I growled as we chased her up some rocks. She was frantically patting herself, looking for something. "My phone! I must of dropped it back at base." She panicked and I rolled my eyes.

"Well, let's head back there then." I suggested but when I turned around, I saw that the groundbridge had disappeared. "Scrap."

I looked over to see the bots kicking Starscream's ass. Well, at least Megatron wasn't actually here. I still didn't want to be near Screamer though. He was the reason I was kidnapped in the first place. He was an arm short though so I felt slightly satisfied by that. That's what you get, fragger.

"I can't believe you made me lose my phone!" Miko suddenly shouted, getting the attention of the bots. Jack asked how it was his fault, but my attention was on my angry looking guardian.

"Jessica, what the frag are you doing here?" He growled while Ratchet called for a groundbridge. Both of them looked pretty disappointed and mad at me. I shrugged my shoulders guiltily. "I was afraid that Miko would get herself into trouble, so I followed her." I replied but even I thought that excuse sounded weak.

Ratchet growled. "So you put yourself in danger? Into the groundbridge, all of you, NOW!" He yelled.

The four of us quickly scampered towards the open groundbridge. I noticed that the Decepticon one was opened as well and it was causing some kind of weird reaction. I didn't think much about it and followed my friends in. Then something weird happened. The portal was shaky on the inside and it kind of exploded around us. When the smoke cleared, we were in the same spot as before.

"Is everyone okay?" I asked as I stood up and brushed the dirt off me. Everyone told me they were fine. I looked over at the bots. "What happened?" Bulkhead asked the others.

"I can't be certain, but if two groundbridges sent to the same coordinates crossed streams, the feedback could cause a system overload." Ratchet replied. Could, more like totally did! Miko thought so as well and said as much. Then Bulkhead asked something that confused the four of us, he asked if we made it through.

"Wait, what? We're right here!" I shouted, waving my arms to get their attention. The other three were just as confused as I was.

Optimus then called Arcee on the comm system. "Arcee, did the children make it safely back to base?" She replied that we were not and asked if they could see us. But for some reason, they could not! I looked over at my guardian and ran to his feet. "Cliff, I'm right here! Hello!" I shouted up at him. Cliff then stepped forward and I screamed as he foot came right at me. But, to my surprise, it went right through me.

"What the hell!" I yelped. "He just went right through me!"

"We're not alive." Jack gulped, but that didn't make sense to me. If I had some kind of destiny planned out, why would I be dead already? "I don't want to be a ghost." Raf squeaked fearfully. I frowned and out a hand on his shoulder. To my surprise, I could touch him.

"Guys we can touch each other still! If we were ghost, we'd just go through one another like Cliff did to me." I realized though the information wasn't very helpful. It didn't explain how we got here nor what was going on. The bots began to walk away so we ran after them. They were heading towards the groundbridge. "No, don't go!"

"Ratchet, could Jessica and the children have been transported unto the nemesis instead?" Optimus asked but Ratchet shook his head. "Not likely. If Starscream didn't arrive at our base, the most likely explanation is a dislocation. Jessica and the children may simply have been bridged to an unintended destination." He explained.

"Another place, but the same place? What exactly does that mean?" I frowned and looked over at Raf. He was the smartest of us, if anyone had a theory, it was him. "We're probably in a different dimension, some sort of alternate reality, a shadowzone." Rafael replied, looking pretty freaked out by the possibility. Personally, I had always thought it would be cool to go to a different dimension. This wasn't _exactly_ how I imagined it though.

"Nerd alert." Miko muttered and a shot her a dark look. "Now is not the time to joke around, Miko." I warned her.

"Look, Skyquake's tomb is empty." Optimus pointed out, much to everyone's horror. Bulkhead wondered how they'd missed him 'rising and shining' while Ratchet said that it seemed like Starscream got what he came for. "Another matter for another time. Right now our priority is locating Miko, Jack, Rafael, and Jessica." Optimus reminded them.

"And quickly. If the Decepticons pick up on Jessica's Allspark signal before us…" Ratchet trailed off, but I could see how terrified he and Cliffjumper both looked. Sunstreaker huffed. "Let's get to it then. Standing around here won't bring them back." He grumbled and the bots walked away once more. Suddenly we heard a loud roar. I exchanged looks with Jack and we turned to face the direction we'd heard it from.

A rusted hand appeared on the side of the mountain. Zombie Skyquake appeared and slowly took off after the bots. "Zombie!" Miko and I shouted at the same time while Jack yelled at the bots to look out. We ran after them, yelling for them to look behind them but of course the bots couldn't hear us. However, when Skyquake swiped at Bulkhead, he went right through the bot. The four of us froze. "Awesome, it can't touch them!" Miko cheered.

"Um, Miko… if Zombie dude can't touch them, that means he's in the Shadowzone too. And if he's in the Shadowzone…" I trailed off fearfully. The zombie turned to face us this time. "Then it can touch us."

"Then we're trapped in the Shadowzone with a Decepticon Zombie!" Raf squeaked. Miko gulped, her face pale with fear. "If we aren't ghosts now… we will be soon!" She muttered meekly.

The zombie stepped towards us. "RUN!" I screamed and we all took off.

We ran for about three minutes straight. Raf tripped at one point, but I picked him back up and pulled him behind a rock to hide with the others. "My glasses!" Raf exclaimed and I looked down to see they were missing from his face. I looked around the rock and saw they were laying where Raf had tripped.

The Con Zombie was also pretty close. "Shit." I muttered before taking a deep breath. "Wait here." I commanded and the three of them nodded. I then ran forward. The Zombie was standing above the glasses so I had to run beneath him. I ducked when he swung his arm at me and bent down to grab the glasses. Then I ran back to the others. "Let's go!"I shouted as I handed the glasses to Raf.

We ran off just as the zombie got to our hiding spot. "Maybe we can set a trap, try and crush it?" Miko suggested. Raf asked her with what, since nothing was solid but us and the ground. "We can't run forever, but we can hide!"

"Right now we need to focus on staying alive." I hissed and they were silent after that.

We ran for quite some time. I thanked Primus that, thanks to the Allspark, I had barely broken a sweat. I could ran for hours. The kids, however, were quickly getting tired. Soon enough, we needed to take a break. Since I couldn't see the zombie anymore, I suggested we rest for a minute. Raf sat down while Miko and Jack bent forward, their hands on their knees.

"How are you not out of breath?" Miko asked between gulps of breath. I smirked. "I'm the Allspark, remember? That run barely took my breath away." I replied and she rolled her eyes at me before saying, "The best thing about zombies, they're slow moving."

I blinked in surprise when we heard the sound of Jack's phone ringing. Then I winced in pain when my comm link started buzzing loudly in my ear. "Ow!" I yelped and quickly removed it while Jack tried to answer his phone. He couldn't hear anyone on the other end though. "Gee imagine that, the fourth dimension has lousy cell phone reception." Miko said sarcastically."

"Guys, guys, guys, the phone rang. We're getting a signal." Jack pointed out.

"Maybe the Autobots can't see us or hear us because we're moving at hyper speed or something." Raf guessed. I asked him if he thought they could read. "Texting!" He grinned and the two of us high fived.

Miko gasped. "Text me! If my phone's back at the base, maybe they'll see it!"

We all huddled around Jack as he attempted to write out a message. I looked over and saw that Zombie Skyquake had found us. "Uh Jack, can you text and run? We got company!" I gulped, drawing their attention to our uninvited guest. We barely managed to avoid his swipe as we ran under the Con and away.

XxRebelWriterxX

"Deja vu."

We had been running for a good ten minutes and Miko was the first to break the silence. Jack and I looked over at her confused. "What? We asked simultaneously. Miko looked exasperated when she replied. "Doesn't this look familiar to you?"

"Not really." Jack replied. I agreed with him mostly. "Honestly all of this looks the same time me. So…" I trailed off with a shrug.

"Dude we just ran one big circle!" Miko exclaimed. We all turned a corner and quickly came to a stop, nearly toppling one another. In front of us was an arm, Starscream's are to be exact.

"That's the first time I've seen _that._ " I pointed at it. Miko looked at it in awe while Jack was surprised. "My guess is it got trapped in here during the explosion as well." Right after I said that, we heard a loud roar. That indicated that Skyquake was near.

"If it's solid, we can use it!" Jack reminded us. Everyone ran around it and tried to figure out how it worked. "We only have one shot, so we have to make it count."

We shot it right as Skyquake came around the corner. It exploded, kicking up the dust all around us. Everyone coughed and hid our faces, but we were hopeful that it took the zombie guy out. "How do you like us now!" Miko cheered. When the dust cleared, however, zombie Skyquake was still there. We only hit his arm.

"Probably not very much." I gulped in fear. The detached arm shot up and used it's fingers to run at us. "Shit! We gotta go! Run!" I screamed and we took off _again._

"How can the zombie arm move faster than the actual zombie?" Miko screamed irritably. That was a good question. One that I didn't have an answer for. So I just shrugged. Jack mentioned that we couldn't keep this up for long. When we passed Starscream's arm again, Miko groaned. "This place is like one big merry-go-round!"

"Skyquake! You're master commands you!" The four of us skidded to a stop at the sound of a new voice. Starscream came into view and I groaned. Just what we needed, another Decepticon.

"How'd that freak get in our dimension?" Miko asked. However, Starscream hadn't even looked on our direction. Jack shook his head. "He didn't. He can't see us."

I noticed the zombie arm was approaching us once more. "Forget Starscream guys, we need to run!" I pointed out. Miko groaned but followed after when we took off. We didn't get very far when a groundbridge appeared in front of us. "A groundbridge! The Autobots must have seen our text!"

"That has to be our way out of here." Jack grinned. The only problem was that Starscream was located right on the other side of it. "Since Starscream is out there, we need to time this right. Everyone, follow my lead."

Everyone got ready to run through. Miko and I kept glancing nervously back at the approaching zombie arm. "Jack?" Miko muttered fearfully. "NOW!" He yelled and we ran through the portal and back into the correct dimension.

"Humans?" Starscream frowned in confusion. "Where did you vermin-" Before he could finish, however, the zombie arm followed us through and attacked his face. "This isn't mine! Ack!"

The first groundbridge disappeared, sealing zombie Skyquake inside. A new one opened up, and Optimus, Cliff, Arcee, and Bulk all walked out. "Miko, Jack, Rafael, and Jessica" Optimus counted before urging us to follow him. The four of us ran forward, relieved to see our guardians and friends once more.

I ran straight to Cliff and hopped into his offered hand. "Howdy partner." I grinned at him.

He'd laughed at me and shook his head. "Howdy partner. You're still in trouble for running out here." He warned me but the warm, relieved smile on his face told me that it wouldn't be too bad. Ratchet would probably be way scarier than him anyways.

We all went through the groundbridge portal and arrived on the other side at the base. Cliff deposited me on the second floor landing with the other three. Ratchet was giving me a stern look and I smiled sheepishly back at him.

"Look." Miko sighed, breaking the silence first. "If you're going to blame anybody, blame me."

I wasn't the only one shocked to hear that. "Whoa, Miko! Did you just take responsibility for your actions? Jack we needed someone to videotape that!" I grinned jokingly at her. Miko frowned at me and pushed me slightly.

"I'm sorry, but can you repeat that? A couple dozen times?" Jack snickered, giving me a high five. Miko was not impressed.

"Miko what you have endured has been lesson enough. We are just glad you are all safe. " Optimus assured her. Miko looked pretty relieved that she wouldn't be getting a lecture. From the looks I was getting from Ratchet _and_ Sunstreaker/Sideswipe, I knew I was in for one.

"Guess it was a good thing you dropped this." Bulkhead handed Miko her phone. "Too bad you didn't get any pictures though."

"Nah that's okay. After today, I pretty much have zombie close ups seared into my brain." Miko chuckled and I agreed with her. I never wanted to deal with another zombie, whether it be Cybertronian or human, ever again. I wasn't really into zombie movies, but more I really didn't want to ever watch one.

After that, everyone decided to do their own thing. I could see that Ratchet was about to pull me away to talk to I quickly grabbed Miko and Jacks arm. "Um, Miko, Jack, Raf, there's something I wanted to talk about. So will you come with me so we can talk privately." I asked them quickly.

"S-sure." Jack stuttered confused. Miko and Raf both nodded and they followed me out of the room. I sighed in relief. Obviously I couldn't avoid Ratchet forever since I lived in the base, but I could for now at least.

We went into my room and I shut my door. The human dorms were the only place we could go that the bots couldn't follow. They could use their holoforms but usually they let us have our privacy.

Miko and Jack say down on the couch I had while Raf sat on the floor. I went over and sat on my bed. "So what's up?" Miko asked curiously.

"Okay so after being captured by the Cons, I realized how little I've told you guys about my life. You guys know I had it rough before coming to Jasper But that's it." I took a deep breath. "But you guys are like family and I know I can trust you with this. So here goes nothing…"

I launched into my story, telling them everything I went through as a child. They listened with rapt attention, looking horrified when I talked about the mental institution. It was like a huge weight had been lifted as I finally gave them my life story.

When I finished, all three of them were pretty misty eyed. "So yeah, that's why I keep my past to myself. Back home, people thought I was a freak. I didn't have any friends. When I met you guys, I didn't tell you my story because I was afraid you would look at me the same way they did. Now I've realized that you're not them. You guys love me for me and that's all that matters." I finished with a small smile.

Miko was the first to react. She jumped up at threw herself at me to hug me tight. Jack and Raf quickly followed her lead. "You are the strongest person I know, Jess. I could never see you as a freak." Miko assured me.

"Me neither." Raf agreed. "You're family and I love you. I love all three of you."

"You were my first true friend here, Jess. Nothing will ever change my mind about that. I'll always be here for you. " Jack promised me.

I teared up at their confessions. They were all truly incredible and I was so blessed to call them my friends. I just wish I had realized how blessed I was sooner. "Thank you, you guys. I love you all so much. I'm really thankful to have you in my life." I told them. We stayed locked in our hug for a minute more before we finally pulled away. We all had to wipe at our eyes to clear away some stay tears.

After we dried up our tears, and laughed about how emotional we were all being, we decided to rejoin the bots. Before we left though, I had one last thing to say. "I've told most of the bots about my past, but I haven't told your guardians. I don't mind if you guys tell them. Honestly I'm tired of hiding from my past. It's time to start looking towards the future." I informed them.

XxRebelWriterxX

After the kids left, I knew it was only a matter of time before Ratchet decided to drag me off for a lecture. I thought about hiding in my room, but I knew I couldn't stay there forever. Eventually I would have to come out and delaying the lecture would only make it worse in the long run. So I sat on the couch, waiting for him to approach me.

I was honestly pretty surprised when it wasn't just Ratchet who approached me, but all of the remaining bots at the base, including Optimus. My cheeks heated up in embarrassment at being surrounded. A lecture from Ratchet was one thing, but to get one from _Optimus Prime_ was honestly a little daunting. They all looked pretty disappointed and worried about me, which only made me feel guiltier.

"Leaving the base was a poor choice, Jessica. Especially since the Decepticons have already made their intentions clear towards you. With your unimaginable powers, you are a target. One the Decepticons will not hesitate to procure and use against us." Optimus reprimanded.

I sighed and looked away from them, rubbing the back of my head. "I know guys, trust me. It's just… when I saw Miko running into that groundbridge after you, I got scared. I don't think Miko fully understands just how ruthless the Cons are. My instinct to protect her overruled my common sense to stay hidden. So I went after her."

"We understand that you were just trying to protect your friends. But Jess, you have to trust that we can do so as well. We would've spotted them and we would have protected them. We sent for the groundbridge immediately, didn't we? You're life is too valuable to risk. I know it sucks, being confined to the base, but it's for your protection." Cliffjumper reminded me and I winced at the hurt I heard. I didn't realize my actions could be seen as me distrusting their abilities to protect my friends.

"Not just your protection, but perhaps the worlds. If the Decepticons figure out a way to manipulate your powers for their own use, who knows what kind of destruction and chaos they could bring." Ratchet added.

I frowned, realizing just how right they were. But still, I didn't think I could just stand by if there was even a marginals chance that my friends were in danger. "And I understand that, guys, really. The thing is, though, I can't just do nothing if I knew my friends were in trouble. I trust you guys. But I _don't_ trust the enemy. And I certainly don't trust Miko's inability to stay out of trouble. I will do everything in my power to stay out of the Decepticons hands, but you have to understand one thing." I waited for one of them to speak.

"And what's that?" Sunstreaker asked gruffly.

"I'm not just the Allspark. I'm a human being with feelings. Primus chose me for that particular reason. You can't stop me from running into danger if I feel like I need to protect the people I care about. You guys didn't know that Miko, Jack and Raf had followed you into the groundbridge. That meant, until you had seen them, those three were in trouble. Who knew how long, it would have taken you to spot them, if you even would've at all. I wasn't going to take that risk. At least I have training and could have protected them to some degree."

Optimus stepped closer to the railing, which I had stood up at some point and walked over to. He leaned down to get a closer look at me. "You are a brave girl, I understand why Primus chose you to be our Allspark. I cannot stop you from running into danger. However, in the future, will you at least inform one of us so that we can be better prepared to protect all of you? Arcee was here and, had you simply said something to her, we would have sent the children back a lot sooner."

Now I was really embarrassed. "Right. Uh, yeah… I can do that."

He nodded and took a step back. "Cliffjumper, I would advise that you resume Jessica's training as soon as possible. I have a feeling she will need it in the future. Sideswipe, Sunstreaker, feel free to help. I know first hand how skilled the two of you are." Optimus commanded.

"But Optimus-" Cliff went to say but Optimus held up a servo to stop him. The look in his optics had Cliffs protests dying on his glossa. "Right. Yes sir." He sighed in defeat.

The twins agreed as well, then everyone dispersed. Cliffjumper frowned over at me, but he followed the twins into the training room to discuss strategies for my training. First Aid smiled encouragingly at me before heading towards the energon room. I was left with just Ratchet then.

He'd barely said a word during the entire exchange and I wondered what was going through his mind. He seemed to be deep in thought. "Ratchet?" I asked.

The medic turned to face me curiously. I frowned questionably at him, but he just smiled in return. "You heard Optimus's order. Honestly, I have no right to protest because you have made it quite clear that my opinion doesn't matter in these situations."

Okay, that hurt.

"Ratchet…" I trailed off, not really knowing what to say. He was right, in a way. I was the one who made the decision that we couldn't be together. I constantly disregarding his opinion so I couldn't blame him for how he felt. His words still stung. I never meant to make him feel like that, like I didn't care. "I'm sorry." I finally sighed.

He nodded before turning to the computer. "Our lessons will resume tomorrow after you training session. Be prepared to learn a lot, as we have much to catch up on." Ratchet informed me, his tone detached from emotion.

I winced. "Of course." I said before walking away and towards my room. Well that sucked. I was glad I had Ratchet's friendship back but I knew I had hurt him pretty badly. I didn't know how I could ever make up for that. I wasn't sure how he was able to handle all of this.

All I knew for certain, I had sure made a mess of things.

 **Ah man, poor Ratchet. Jessica definitely messed up by rejecting him. Those two have had a rough journey together, haven't they? Well don't worry, this is a romance not a tragedy. Things will eventually come together. Until then, enjoy the angst! Fifteen chapters and the main characters still aren't together! This is probably a record for me, lol. See you guys soon for chapter sixteen!**


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